FORT MYERS, FL – Saint Joseph's (2-0) opened the 2011 season with wins over UMass.-Dartmouth and Kenyon in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic Invitational on Monday. Heather Tripp '13 (Lovell, ME) went 3-3 with three runs and two RBI and connected for her first collegiate home run in the mercy-rule win over UMass.-Dartmouth.

GAME ONE vs. UMass.-Dartmouth

Tripp's two-run blast lifted the Monks to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second and the Royal Blue scored five off five hits in the fourth to take control of the game. Connie Grovo '14 (Limington, ME) knocked home a run with her first NCAA hit, a single, and Emily Leverone '11 (Hampton, NH) tripled home a pair during the SJC offensive outburst.

Katelyn Call '12 (Portland, ME/McAuley) plated a run with a single in the fifth and Jill Howard '14 (Rochester, NH) drove home the game's final run with a single in the sixth.

Howard went 3-4 with a double, a run and an RBI and Call went 2-3 with a run and an RBI in the SJC win. Starting pitcher Kiera Walsh '11 (Benton, ME) fanned two and allowed two hits in four innings to register her first win of the season. Rae-Marie Copan '14 (Newton, MA) made her first NCAA appearance on the hill and allowed one hit with three K's in two innings.

GAME TWO vs. Kenyon

The story of the nightcap was the pitching performance of SJC ace Madylan Kluna '12 (Standish, ME), who threw a complete-game one hitter with eight strikeouts in the 2-0 triumph.

Grovo and Leverone both went 2-3 with a run scored and a double in the win. Leverone and Alyssa Dunn '11 (Standish, ME) registered RBI's in the Monks' second victory of the day.