FORT MYERS, FL – Saint Joseph's (8-2) capped the 2013 spring trip with a pair of victories. The Monks defeated Franklin & Marshall University (4-8), 4-2, in the first game of the day and toppled Polytechnic (NY) (0-2), 7-0, in the final contest of the southern swing.
GAME ONE
Saint Joseph's struck early in the win over Franklin & Marshall, scoring four runs over the first three innings to provide plenty of support for burgeoning staff ace Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass.). The junior pitcher registered her third brilliant performance in as many outings, allowing two runs off six hits with 10 strikeouts to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Senior center fielder Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) led off the game with a single to left and scooted to second on a Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, junior left fielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) singled and both runners tapped the plate on double off the bat of senior catcher Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine) to lift the Royal Blue to an early two-run cushion.
In the top of the third, junior shortstop Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) singled and was lifted in favor of freshman infielder Alyssa Wade (Peru, Maine). Next up was Hendrix, who doubled to center, and freshman first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) plated both of her teammates with a base hit to center to make it a 4-0 game.
Copan saw her streak of not allowing an earned run end at 17 innings when the Diplomats scored a single run off two hits in the bottom of the fourth. Junior shortstop Nicole Casey (Point Pleasant, N.J.) doubled to left center and junior first baseman Sam DeNoville (Jackson, N.J.) drove her home with a single two batters later to cut the SJC lead down to 4-1.
The three-run cushion stood until the bottom of the seventh, when Franklin & Marshall threatened to steal the victory but fell short with a run off three hits and two runners left on base. With two out, catcher Ashley Hartshorn (Branchburg, N.J.) and left fielder Patricia Crigler (Chatham, N.J.) rapped singles and the former scored when the following batter, pinch hitter Kaitlin Zamp, doubled to center. With runners on second and third and two out, Copan fanned pinch hitter Malorie Sassaman (Pottstown, Pa.) to close out the victory.
For the Monks, Hendrix went 2-4 with two runs and a double, Shufelt was 2-4 with a run and a stolen base, and Tripp and Mayhew knocked in two runs apiece in the victory.
With the impressive outing, Copan is now 3-0 with 10 hits and no walks allowed with 25 strikeouts on the year. Her strikeout total (10) in today's triumph is a new career-high for the junior who fanned 39 batters in 75.1 innings a year ago.
The Diplomats did not feature a repeat-hitter in the setback and sophomore starting pitcher Justine Lohrey (West Chester, Pa.) took the loss after allowing four runs off nine hits and two walks with a pair of punch-outs over seven frames.
GAME TWO
Saint Joseph's left little doubt as to which club would come out on top in the team's final tilt of the trip, as the Monks scored all of their runs in the first two frames en route to a 7-0 win over Polytechnic (NY), capping a successful trip with an 8-2 record.
St. Joe's parlayed a Polytechnic error into two runs in the top of the first. Shufelt led off with a single, Wade walked and Hendrix singled to load the bases to bring up Tripp, who reached on an infield error, a play resulting in both Shufelt and Wade scoring to make it a 2-0 game.
In the second, sophomore designated player Vanessa Davis (Friendship, Maine) walked and sophomore third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) reached on an error. Both second-year players moved into scoring position on a double-steal and Shufelt plated Davis with a single to center and sophomore right fielder Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I.) reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Following a Wade popup to first base, Hendrix pushed home the fourth run of the game with a walk before Tripp dealt the knockout blow with a bases-clearing double to center field, lifting the Royal Blue to a 7-0 cushion through 1 ½ innings of play.
With the sizeable lead, Hendrix motored through the Blue Jays' lineup and finished the day allowing only two hits and a pair of free passes with four K's in the complete-game shutout.
Offensively, Tripp went 3-4 with two doubles and three RBI and Shufelt was 2-4 with two runs, an RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
Polytechnic starter Briana Feist (San Diego, Calif.) took the loss after yielding seven runs (five earned) off eight hits and four walks with six strikeouts in seven frames.
For the Monks, the 8-2 record is the best start to a season since opened the 1994 campaign with a 14-1 record under the watch of current Co-Head Coach Dick Bailey.
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Saturday, March 23rd when the Monks kick off Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a doubleheader at Albertus Magnus College. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.