PHILADELPHIA – La Salle and UMass combined to blast 14 home runs in a Senior Day doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at West Campus Field, with the Minutewomen winning game one, 11-2, and the Explorers taking the nightcap, 10-8. The Blue and Gold honored its five seniors—Genevieve Gaynor, Kendra Heyer, Erica Reis, Mary Cate Scott, and Alli Waddington—in a pre-game ceremony.

Junior Christina Bascara had two home runs and drove in two, while Reis doubled, homered and knocked in three to pace the Explorers offense.

Game One

UMass started the game with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead, but Heyer had a memorable start to her senior day game with a solo blast in the second.

The contest remained tight until the fourth and fifth innings when the visitors broke it open with nine runs. A three-run homer from Olivia Godin made it 5-2 in the fourth and Ashton Wince followed with a solo shot.

Five runs in the fifth made it 11-2 in favor of UMass and the Explorers were unable to get anything going in the bottom of the frame. The game was called after five due to the eight-run rule.

Scott (10-6) suffered the loss in her senior day start, allowing six earned runs in 3.2 innings while striking out two.

Heyer's home run was one of two hits for La Salle. Junior Michelle Hagarty added a single.

Meg Colleran allowed two earned runs in five innings for the victory. UMass scored nine of its 11 runs via the long ball.

Game Two

The ball continued to carry in the second game, with La Salle (13-26, 4-14 A-10) hitting four homers, two coming off the bat of Bascara. All nine starters reached base with eight recording hits and scoring at least a run.

Freshman Marlo Roadcap (1-8) earned her first collegiate win, battling through a full seven innings. She scattered 14 hits, allowed eight earned runs and struck out seven batters.

After a solo shot by Jena Cozza gave the visitors the lead in the first, Bascara's two-run shot gave the Explorers a lead they would not relinquish. Reis doubled home a run in the second to make the lead 3-1.

UMass added another run in the third before a freshman Emma Schweigert single made the score 4-2 in favor of the home nine.

A Lindsey Zenk brought it to 4-3 but sophomore Bridgett Magee hit a home run and Hagarty had an RBI single to give La Salle its largest lead at 6-3.

After a pair of Minutewomen runs, Reis hit her fifth career home run, a two-run shot, that looked to give La Salle a safe 8-5 lead but the visitors responded to make it 8-7 in the sixth.

But the long ball aided the Explorers again as Mackenzie Obert and Bascara launched bombs to make it 10-7 and UMass could only push across one run, despite loading the bases, in the seventh.

Colleran (18-15) suffered the loss with six earned runs in 3.1 innings. Zenk had three hits for UMass (20-22, 12-6 A-10).

The teams will complete the series on Sunday at noon, weather permitting.