BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – The Norwich University softball team's offense exploded for 16 runs in a non-conference sweep over Mass. Maritime on Sunday afternoon. 

The Cadets (5-5, 0-0 GNAC) used a balance offense to pick up their first sweep of the season heading into the start of conference play next weekend. 

In Game 2, Norwich had 13 hits with eight of the nine batters in the order notching at least one hit in an 11-1 win in five innings over the Buccaneers. In the first game, Norwich had three hits from Annika Beebe (Marianna, Fla.) and two more from Liliana Rolfe (Plainville, Mass.) with two runs scored to lead the Cadets to a 5-0 shutout win. 

Junior Allison Northup (Westerly, R.I.) threw one of the best games of her collegiate career with a complete-game, five-hitter to lead Norwich in the circle in Game 1. 

Freshman Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) picked up her first collegiate win in the second game, throwing five innings and surrendering just two hits and no earned runs, while striking out four. 

Norwich took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the opener with Rolfe scoring on a sacrifice bunt from Laura Deaton (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) after she led off the game with a double. 

The Cadets stretched the lead to 2-0 with another sacrifice bunt from Emma DeGoosh (Bradford, Vt.) that scored Beebe in the top of the fourth. 

McGinn singled down the left-field line in the top of the fifth to score Rolfe with a RBI to make it 3-0 Norwich. 

The Cadets tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning with Kennedy White (Randolph Center, Vt.) scoring on a fielder's choice from Rachel Kempf (Warwick, R.I.) and then Nicole Perault (Nashua, N.H.) notching a RBI single down the led field line to score Northup. 

In Game 2, Sydney Wood (Proctor, Vt.) went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and a RBI in the best offensive game of her young career. Sophomore Julia Vawter (Pelham, N.H.) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while White had two more hits and two RBIs as well as the No. 6-to-No. 8 spots in the batting order carried the offense. 

Vawter opened the scoring in the top of the second inning with a RBI single up the middle to score Wood. 

Mass. Maritime answered in the bottom of the second to tie the game up at 1-1 with a single to right field. 

It was all Norwich from there though as the Cadets scored four runs in the top of the fourth and then six more in the fifth to pull away for the victory. 

Vawter once again jumpstarted the offense with a double through the left side to McGinn for a RBI. Wood came around to score after White reached on a throwing error. 

The Cadets then executed a double steal with White stealing second and Vawter stealing home to make it 4-1. Deaton singled through the left side to score White to make it 5-1 and cap the fourth inning scoring. 

The Cadets added six more runs in the fifth innings for the most runs they've scored in a single-inning this season. The 11 runs scored were also a season-high. 

Norwich will head to defending GNAC champion Emmanuel College on Saturday to open up GNAC play at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Roberto Clemente Field in Boston. The Cadets will then return to Vermont to finally play its 2022 home opener when they host Rivier on Sunday, Apr. 3 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the NU Softball Field.