NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University softball team edged Albertus Magnus 5-4 in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament First Round game on Wednesday at the NU Softball Field.

Norwich (17-16) used a three-run fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie and then held on late to advance to the GNAC Tournament Quarterfinals where it will meet Simmons on Friday at 2 p.m. at Johnson & Wales.

Senior third baseman Briana Day (Yelm, Wash.) launched a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning to spark the Cadets' big inning and give them a lead they would never look back from.

Senior shortstop Abby Belcher (Winthrop, Mass.) hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score junior centerfield Kelly Travers (Whitman, Mass.) and make it 4-2. NU senior first baseman Erin Clark (Newbury, Vt.) capped the scoring with a RBI single to score Travers and put Norwich up 5-2.

Albertus Magnus (17-17) didn't go down quietly though as the Falcons mounted a comeback in the top of the seventh inning by loading the bases with one out to set up a dramatic game-ending scenario.

Amanda Jessey hit a sharp ground ball to shortstop that Belcher fielded and threw to Clark for the second out of the inning. Elaina Maio scored initially to make it 5-3. However, Brittney Urciuoli rounded second base prompting Clark to fire the ball back to Melissa Rome (Enfield, Conn.) at second base. Rome caught the ball and then ran toward Urciuoli as she scrambled to get back to the base. Rome applied the tag for the third out just moments after Shyleen Ortiz crossed home to make it 5-4.

Norwich got off to strong start in the top of the first inning with junior pitcher Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) striking out the side. The Cadets' struck first blood with Travers scoring on a RBI fielder's choice by Belcher to go up 1-0. NU added to its lead in the bottom of the second inning with Travers singling back up the middle that scored Justina George (Wallingford, Conn.) after a bobble by Megan Kelly.

Albertus Magnus tied the game back up at 2-2 in the top of the fourth when Ortiz helped herself by launching a two-run home run over the left centerfield fence.

Baita improved to 12-6 on the season after surrendering four hits and no earned runs and two walks while striking out eight.

Norwich will now make its second appearance in the last three seasons in the double-elimination portion of the GNAC Tournament. Two seasons ago NU lost to Simmons 1-0 and St. Joseph (Conn.) 4-1 to get knocked out of the playoffs.

-CADETS-