NEWTON, Mass. – In their long awaited home opener at The Softball Field, Mount Ida matched up against a talented pitching product from Norwich University, and saw the Cadets take a sweep of two Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball games. 

The Mustangs were limited to just five hits over two games and, despite tying the first game at two in the bottom of the fifth inning, suffered a 4-2 loss in the opener before being shutout 4-0 in the nightcap. 

Norwich junior pitcher Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) was superb on the mound, picking up the victory in both games after coming on in relief in Game 1 and then going the distance in Game 2. 

Game 1: Norwich 4, Mount Ida 2

Mount Ida was held without a hit until the bottom of the fourth inning and trailed 2-0 until the bottom of the fifth when they finally got to Cadets starter Taylor Morris (Haverhill, N.H.). 

After two walks, it was Mount Ida's pitcher, freshman Nicole Handzel (Palmer, Mass.), who picked up an RBI single to get the Mustangs on the board, and an RBI groundout by Michele MacDonald (North Dighton, Mass.) scored Meg Hall (Danielson, Conn.) to tie the game. 

Handzel went the full seven innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out ten Cadets, but issuing seven walks and allowing eight hits and taking the loss. 

Baita came on in the bottom of the fifth after Mount Ida got to Morris for the two runs. She struck out six of the seven hitters she faced over the final 2.1 innings to shut down the Mustangs.

Norwich jumped out on top early when senior Melissa Rome (Enfield, Conn.) picked up an RBI double to plate junior centerfielder Kelly Travers (Whitman, Mass.). Rome came through again in the bottom of the third, once again plating Travers with a RBI single to centerfield to put the Cadets up 2-0.

Baita went the distance to improve to 6-2 on the season, firing a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks as the Cadets shut out the Mustangs.

Belcher provided the offense for Norwich, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs, one walk and a run scored. Rome added another RBI to stretch her team-leading total to 10 on the season. Travers went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Morris went 2-for-3.

Freshman Kaitlyn Muhlenforth (Bohemia, N.Y.) went six innings, giving up eight hits and three earned runs while walking one to take the loss for Mount Ida in Game 2.

MacDonald and first baseman Shannon McArthur (Coventry, R.I.) collected the hits for the Mustangs in the second game.

Mount Ida (1-9, 0-2 GNAC) is scheduled to play at Saint Joseph's (ME) on Friday at 3:30 and 5:30 in another GNAC doubleheader.

The Cadets (9-5, 4-0 GNAC) continue their week on Friday when they travel down to Nashua, N.H. to take on Rivier for another GNAC doubleheader.