STANDISH, ME – #2 Saint Joseph's (32-8, 21-3 GNAC) defeated #3 Simmons College (24-14, 19-5 GNAC), 6-5, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball quarterfinal game at Richard W. Bailey Field on Friday afternoon. Junior center fielder Emily Leverone (Hampton, NH) went 2-4 with a two-run homer in the victory.

St. Joe's, trailing 2-1 through four-and-a-half innings, scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to secure a 6-2 cushion. The Sharks, who defeated #6 Johnson & Wales (8-32, 7-17 GNAC), 4-1 earlier in the day at Bailey Field, fought back with a run in the sixth and two in the seventh to make it a one-run game. But the Wildcats' rally fell short as SJC starting pitcher Maddie Kluna '12 (Standish, ME) induced a trio of harmless outs with two runners on base to keep the Monks in the winners' bracket of the conference tourney.

In the first game of the day, Simmons scored all the runs they needed in the first inning as the Sharks scored two early runs en route to the 4-1 win. Left fielder Christina Mulcahy '14 (Cambridge, MA) received credit for two RBI with single during the opening frame.

The Sharks would double their lead in the bottom of the fourth when pitcher Courteney Collier '11 (Bolton, MA) and Annie Thompson '11 (Pacific Palisades, CA) scored to make it a 4-0 game. Johnson & Wales mounted a late comeback bid and scored a run off a Korissa Bailey '12 (Pelham, NH) single, but the effort fell short on a line-out double play that ended the game.

For Simmons, catcher Emily Nalband '11 (Litchfield, CT)  and Sami Hodgkins '12 (Putney, VT) registered two hits apiece and Collier improved to 12-4 on the year after allowing one run off five hits and four walks in a complete-game effort.

For Johnson & Wales, Taylor Cwalinski '14 (Jackson, NJ) was hit with the loss after yielding four runs (two earned) off six hits and a walk in 3.1 innings. Alyssa Babineau '14 (Princeton, MA) tossed 2.2 scoreless innings in relief.

With the victory Simmons remained in the winners' bracket and earned the right to face second-seeded St. Joe's. The Sharks put the Monks on their heels by scoring a run off a hit and an SJC miscue out of the gate as Thompson singled and later scored on a wild pitch to take a 1-0 edge.

The Monks followed a similar script to tie the game at one-apiece in the bottom of the second. Third baseman Heather Tripp '13 (Lovell, ME) opened the frame with a ball hit to third base and reached on an error and scored when the following batter, catcher Maria Labbe '12 (Lewiston, ME), doubled to left-center.

The deadlock held until the top of the fifth when Thompson, who reached on a misplayed ball hit to third base, scored on a Nalband double to right-center.

Saint Joseph's responded with a five-spot off six hits in the bottom of the fifth to earn the momentum and, eventually, the win. Leverone lifted the Monks to their first lead of the day with a two-run shot to deep right field and Labbe extended her team's lead to 4-2 with an RBI single. Left fielder Katelyn Call '12 (Portland, ME/McAuley) rapped a two-run single to left-center to make it a 6-2 game.

As it played out, Call's clutch hit proved indispensable as the Sharks went on to score a run off an Amanda Gould '12 (Fremont, NH) single in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to make it a one-run game. Thankfully for the hosts, Kluna bore down after first baseman Emily Cunningham '14 (Cotuit, MA) plated a pair with a single in the final frame.

For the Monks, Labbe went 2-3 with a run, a double and two RBI and Alyssa Dunn '11 (Standish, ME) added a 2-3 performance at the plate. Kluna, now 13-3 on the year, scattered eight hits with six K's while allowing five runs (two earned) in a complete-game victory.

For the Sharks, Nalband was 3-4 and Thompson went 2-3 with three runs scored in a losing effort. Hodgkins fell to 4-2 on the season after allowing six runs (five earned) off 10 hits in 4.2 innings and Collier closed out the contest with 1.1 innings of perfect relief.

The 2011 GNAC softball tournament moves to Gordon College in Wenham, MA – with top-seed Emerson College serving as the host - for the remainder of the playoffs, which will take place over the next two days.

Simmons faces #4 St. Joseph (CT) in the first elimination game of the tourney at 10:00 AM, while St. Joe's will play #5 Rivier College at 2:00 PM on Saturday.