CLERMONT, Fla.—UMass Boston softball broke a 18-inning scoreless drought with six runs against Lasell College, to earn their third-consecutive doubleheader split to start the season.

THE BASICS 

Trinity College 1, UMass Boston 0

UMass Boston 6, Lasell College 3

(UMass Boston 3-3)

(Trinity College 2-3)

(Lasell College 2-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Cassia Armstrong outdueled freshman Annie Thomas (Lunenburg, Mass.) in a pitcher's duel in game one, as the Bantams barely edged the Beacons 1-0.

In the second game, UMass Boston scored three times in the third and three more runs in the sixth and seventh to give freshmen Vic Zechello (Foxborough, Mass.) her second win of the season. 

GAME ONE

Armstrong allowed just two hits and four walks over seven scoreless innings, to hand the Beacons their third shutout loss of the season.

Thomas was nearly as good, as she allowed eight hits, one walk and one unearned run in seven innings. The Little East Conference Pitcher of the Week also struck out five batters in the loss.

Freshman Roxanne Vento (Arlington, Mass.) and junior Gia Raczkowski (Stoneham, Mass.) recorded the Beacons' lone two hits. 

Both teams had great chances to score in the first inning. Thomas stranded the bases loaded with a groundout in the top half, while Armstrong needed a diving play by her shortstop on Lauren Mitsiaris' (Taunton, Mass.) hard liner, to get out of a bases-loaded jam.

Trinity got out of jams in the third and the fourth with double plays and the Beacons had a runner caught stealing to end the fifth.

The Bantams scored the lone run of the contest in the fifth inning. Victoria Baez led off with a single and should've been erased on a double-play ball, but the Beacons' defense couldn't make the play. Elizabeth McQuaid followed with an RBI single to give the Bantams the lead, but that it would be all they would get. Thomas induced back-to-back outs and then Taylor Pawlina (Woonsocket, R.I.) gunned down a runner at home, who was trying to score on a single to center. 

GAME TWO

After seeing their scoreless drought extend to 18 innings, UMass Boston used three hits and an error in the third inning, to grab a 3-0 lead and they never looked back. 

Vento continued to swing a hot bat, as the freshman went 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI in her first collegiate start at third base. Raczkowski added two hits, one run and one RBI and Pawlina finished 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Zechello improved to 2-0 on the season with the win. The freshman allowed nine hits and three walks and just one earned run over seven innings. She also struck out four in the contest.

In the third inning, UMass Boston put two runners in scoring position with one out. Alexa St. Angelo (Cranston, R.I.) plated Pawlina with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 and Raczkowski followed with an RBI double to score Kristina Bove (Medford, Mass.). With two down and Raczkowski on second, Vento followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0 UMass Boston.

The Beacons tacked on two more runs in the sixth, as Pawlina ripped a two-run, two-out single to score Vento and Morgan Bishop (Ramsey, N.J.). 

UMass Boston added a big insurance run in the seventh, as Vento drove in Kaitlyn Morse (Arlington, Mass.) to push the lead to 6-0. 

Zechello put down the first two batters in the seventh inning, but Lasell followed with a walk, an error and a single to load the bases. Erin Larghi worked a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to 6-1 and then the next two batters followed with RBI singles.

With the bases still loaded and two down, Emily DeAngelis was called for runner interference to end the contest. 

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Vento has now hit safely in five of six contests and leads the Beacons with her .421 on-base percentage and four RBI.
• Thomas and Zechello combined to allow just one earned run in 14 innings on Tuesday.
• Through six games thus far, UMass Boston's pitching staff has combined for a 1.54 earned run average.
• UMass Boston improved to 7-7 all-time against Lasell with the victory.
• The Beacons fell to 1-2 all-time against the Bantams, with both teams earning a 1-0 victory in the last two matchups. 

WHO'S NEXT 

UMass Boston will take on New England College (9 a.m.) and Clarkson University (11 a.m.) on Wednesday in their final day of games in Florida.