PROVIDENCE, R.I. -  Regis Softball traveled to top-seeded Johnson & Wales University this afternoon to kick off pod play in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball tournament. Taking on the host team, Regis came up short as Johnson & Wales used a strong offensive performance to secure an 11-4 win.

Madi Zancan (Cumberland, R,I) led at the plate, going 2-3 with one run and one RBI. Chloe Beland added a hit and two RBIs, while three other members of the Pride laid down a hit in the effort. Gabriella Blanchard (North Haven, Conn.) pitched 5.1 innings in the effort. 

How It Happened: 

• The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, using a pair of doubles to left center to bring home the game's first run. One batter later, they tacked on another to take a 2-0 advantage in the first inning.
• Regis responded in the top of the second as Grace Motto (Wareham, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch. Moments later, Zancan laid down a bunt single to bring home Blanchard and tie the game at 2-2.
• Johnson & Wales quickly answered in the bottom half of the inning with a three-run homer off the bat of Mady Lyons, reclaiming a 5-2 lead.
• The third and fourth innings turned into a defensive standoff, with just two hits surrendered between the teams. Regis then threatened in the fifth, as Zancan and Bianca Burke (Cambridge, Mass.) connected on back-to-back singles before a sharply hit ball to the left side by  Beland drove in both runners to trim the deficit to 5-4.
• A solo home run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Wildcats some breathing room, and they broke the game open in the sixth. Lyons and Pelletier each launched their second home runs of the day, combining for five runs and extending the Johnson & Wales lead to 11-4. That score would hold through the final frame as the Wildcats sealed the win over the Pride.

Inside the Numbers: 

• Madi Zancan has now notched back-to-back multi-hit games for the Pride, extending her hit streak to four games.
• Kristen Galvin (North Reading, Mass.) recroded her third double on the season in this afternoon's effort. 

 Up Next:

The Pride will return to Scotts Miracale-Gro Athletic Complex on Saturday, May 3rd to take on Simmons College in a win  or go home game at 12 p.m.