WELLESLEY, MA - Saint Joseph's College (34-6) bowed out of the NCAA DIII Softball Tournament with a pair of losses at Wellesley College on Saturday. The Monks fell into the losers' bracket with a 5-2 setback at the hands of Bridgewater State University (31-12) in nine innings and saw their 2014 season come to a close with a 6-0 loss to Wellesley.

The latter loss signals the end of collegiate softball for the Monks' four seniors: Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass.), Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.), Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) and Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus). Saint Joseph's won four Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships, advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times, and posted a 138-38 (.784) overall record with an 82-14 (.854) mark versus GNAC opponents with this outstanding quartet on the diamond.

(GAME RELEASES COURTESY OF WELLESLEY COLLEGE)

Wellesley 6, Saint Joseph's 0

Wellesley Advances to NCAA Softball Regional Final; Blue Top Saint Joseph's

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College secured a trip to the regional championship round of the NCAA Tournament with a 6-0 win over Saint Joseph's in the fifth game of the 2014 NCAA Division III Softball Wellesley Regional.

The Blue move to 29-10 on the season, and advance to face Bridgewater State at 12:00pm on Sunday. A Wellesley win would force a second game, immediately following the first one. The winner will move on to the NCAA Super Regionals next weekend. Saint Joseph's closes out their 2014 season at 34-6.

Wellesley senior Lindsay Johnson pitched her second complete-game shut-out of the day, a five hit beauty that saw her strikeout three and walk only two.

The Blue were led offensively by senior Jayne Ellis, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and first-year Anna Pisac who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.  Ashtyn Coleman and Emilyrose Havrilla each had an RBI for the Blue, while Havrilla went 2-for-4.

The Monks were led by Carla Tripp, who went 2-for-2. Lindsay Moore and Danica Gleason each had a hit, while also reaching base on a walk.

Johnson put the first eight batters away before surrendering a single to Tripp in the bottom of the third. Jaclyn Tsang made an impressive diving catch to close out the inning, breaking on a sinking liner into shallow right field and laying out for the grab.

Wellesley got on the board first in the top of the fourth, rallying to put runners on first and second with two outs as Ellis and Havrilla both put balls in the outfield. Pisac smacked a sharp liner into center field to bring Ellis home and put the Blue up 1-0.

Saint Joseph's threatened to even it up in the bottom of the fourth, as a single from Moore and a walk drawn by Gleason put two on with one out.  Theresa Hendrix  reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners, but a popup to first base ended the threat.

The Blue exploded in the fifth as Jennifer Migliore led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Coleman put a double on the warning track in deep center field to bring Migliore home, giving Wellesley a 2-0 lead. Tsang beat the throw to first on a bunt single to put runners at the corners with one out, and then stole second to get into scoring position. Ellis then singled to center to bring Coleman and Tsang home and put Wellesley up 4-0.  A Havrilla single to shallow center then plated Ellis, while Pisac followed with a triple to deep center field to get Havrilla home for her second RBI, as Wellesley nabbed a 6-0 advantage.

The game was delayed with one out and a runner on first for Saint Joseph's in the bottom of the sixth as lightning was reported in the area and both teams were instructed to take cover. Play resumed after 30 minutes, and saw Gleason double to left center to put two runners in scoring position. However, a popup and a groundout ended the threat, and Johnson worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to seal the win.

Bridgewater State 5, Saint Joseph's 2 (9 innings)

Bridgewater State Remains Unbeaten in NCAA Softball Action; Bears Down Saint Joseph's

WELLESLEY, Mass. - Bridgewater State earned its second NCAA Tournament victory in the past two days, defeating Saint Joseph's College, 5-2, in the third game of the 2014 NCAA Division III Softball Wellesley Regional.

The Bears move to 31-12 on the season, advancing to tomorrow's championship round at 12:00pm.  Saint Joseph's (34-5) will play in an elimination game at 5:00pm today against the winner of Wellesley-Western Connecticut State to determine who will face Bridgewater State in the championship.

The Bears Amber White had a rocky start, allowing two runs in the first inning, but settled down to throw three-hit ball over the final eight innings. She moved to 24-3 on the season, finishing with nine innings of work, scattering six hits while striking out five.

Offensively, the Bears were paced by a 3-for-5 day from Jill Welch, who drove in a pair of runs. Courtney Leddy collected two hits and the go-ahead RBI in the win, and Kelly McCarthy also drove in a pair of runs.

Saint Joseph's offense was led by Kim Jordan, who went 2-for-4 on the day, and Lindsay Moore and Theresa Hendrix both drove in runs for the Monks. Starting pitcher Rae-Marie Copan allowed seven hits in seven innings while striking out three and not walking a batter, exiting without a decision.  Danielle Egan (3-1) took the loss for Saint Joseph's after coming on in relief in the eighth inning, giving up two hits and three runs with a strikeout and a walk in two innings of work.

Saint Joseph's struck first, with leadoff hitter Jordan singling to center field on the first pitch she saw, and then coming home on an RBI double by Moore two batters later.  With two outs, Hendrix singled up the middle to bring Moore home, making it 2-0 Monks. 

The teams traded zeroes until the top of the fifth inning, when Samantha LoPilato led off with a sharp single before advancing to second on a passed ball and then to third on a sacrifice bunt by Karissa Pagan.  Kelly McCarthy then sent an 0-1 pitch over the fence in left-center field, her third of the season, to tie the score at 2-2 with one out.  The Bears continued to threaten, putting two more runners on base before collecting another out, but the threat was quashed by a spectacular throw from left-fielder Carla Tripp who picked off Leddy at home to end the inning as she attempted to score from second base on a hard hit ball from Tara McCann.

The Monks had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, putting two runners on base as Jennifer Murphy walked and Tripp singled with two outs, but Jordan grounded out to end the threat and send the game to extra innings.

In the top of the ninth, LoPilato led off with a walk for the Bears before advancing into scoring position on a wild pitch by Egan. McCarthy reached on a fielder's choice, but pinch runner Breanna Shaffer was safe at third. Leddy then laced a double to left field to bring home to go ahead run to put Bridgewater up 3-2, and Welch put a single into short center field to bring home two more runs and go up 5-2.  Saint Joseph's ended the Bears scoring binge with two pop-ups ending the inning, and White pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to end the game.

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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 430-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.