CASTLETON, Vt. – The Husson softball team staved off elimination in the North Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament on Friday afternoon, defeating New England College by a score of 3-0.

With the win, the Eagles (15-24) will take on the loser of the evening game between Thomas and Castleton tomorrow afternoon. New England College (21-21) was eliminated from the tournament with the loss.

Alannah Healy tossed a complete-game shutout in the win, allowing just four hits while striking out three batters. Lyndsay Merrill went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs in the win, while Kristen Chipman tallied a pair of hits.

For NEC, Joslyn Gallagher recorded a pair of hits, while Gabriella Marcheschi suffered the loss in the circle. Marcheschi went all seven innings, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits while striking out three batters.

Husson got on the board first, pushing across a run in the opening half inning. Merrill led off the game with a double to the fence in left center and came around to score on an RBI single by Casey Lopes.

Husson would double its lead in the top of the second inning, adding another run on an RBI double by Olivia Smith, making it 2-0 in favor of the Eagles. Husson had the bases loaded with just one out, but a fielder's choice cut a run down at the plate before a line-out ended the inning, limiting the damage to just a run.

The Eagles would stretch the lead to 3-0 in the top of fourth inning, when a two-out single by Sami Cyr scored Merrill to give the visitors a three-run lead. The two sides would trade zeros on the way out, as both pitchers limited the damage through the final three innings of play.