STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (7-9, 2-2 GNAC) won both ends of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader versus Mount Ida College (3-9, 0-2 GNAC) at Richard W. Bailey Field on a chilly Tuesday afternoon.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
GAME 1 – Saint Joseph's 8, Mount Ida 6
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Monks, held hitless in their first three turns at the bat, finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth with five runs off four hits and a Mount Ida miscue. Freshman shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.), who led off the inning, broke the hitless string with a double to left field and eventually scored on an infield error.
St. Joe's tacked on two more in the fifth, but Mount Ida tightened the collar in the sixth with four runs off five hits and two SJC errors, making it a 7-5 game going into the bottom of the penultimate frame. The Monks tacked on an insurance run without recording a hit and the Mustangs, who countered with a run off two hits in the top of the seventh, had the tying run at the plate with two out, but SJC freshman pitcher Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) closed the door with a strikeout.
PITCHER OF RECORD
Saint Joseph's freshman starter Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) allowed five runs (one earned) off 10 hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings to improve to 4-2 on the year. Thompson picked up her first NCAA save after giving up a run off two hits with a punch-out in the seventh.
Mount Ida junior Nicole Handzel (Palmer, Mass.) was dominant in the early going, but fell victim to a high pitch count midway through the opener. She falls to 2-5 on the season after allowing eight runs (six earned) off eight hits and seven walks while fanning three batters.
SJC HIGHLIGHTS
- Elliott went 2-4 with two runs and a pair of doubles
- Junior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) was 2-4 with two runs, a double, and two RBI
- Senior left fielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) added two hits, a run, a stolen base, and two RBI in three at-bats
IDA HIGHLIGHTS
- Sophomore shortstop Hayley Microulis (Pawtucket, R.I.) was 3-4 with three runs and a double
- Freshman first baseman Kelsey Weston (Hampstead, N.H.) went 2-3 with a double and two RBI
- Junior center fielder Michele MacDonald (North Dighton, Mass.) and junior second baseman Lucianna Medici (Riverside, R.I.) added two hits and an RBI apiece
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 7, Mount Ida 6
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Joseph's grabbed an early lead with two runs off Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine) and Elliott doubles in the bottom of the first and maintained an advantage until the top of the seventh, when Mount Ida struck for four runs to tie the game at 6-6.
With two out and a runner on first base, the Mustangs took advantage of a costly SJC error en route to scoring three unearned runs, with the game tying run being driven in by junior Emma Morton (Winchester, Mass.).
As it played out, the Monks managed to win the nightcap without registering a hit in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) led off the inning as a pinch hitter, worked a five-pitch walk, and was lifted in favor of pinch runner Emilie Duggan (Newfield, Maine), who scored the winning run when the following two batters – Mayhew and Pollini – both reached on infield errors.
PITCHER OF RECORD
St. Joe's junior starter Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) improves to 2-3 after yielding six runs (three earned) off eight hits and a walk with six K's in a complete-game effort.
Microulis falls to 1-4 on the young season after allowing seven runs (six earned) off 10 hits and a free pass with four punch-outs in 6.1 innings.
SJC HIGHLIGHTS
- Bailey went 2-4 with two runs, a triple, a steal, and two RBI
- Elliott was 2-4 with a run, two doubles, and an RBI
- Gaddy doubled and drove in a pair with a run scored
IDA HIGHLIGHTS
- Morton went 2-4 with a double and three RBI
- Weston added two hits, two runs, and an RBI in four at-bats
- MacDonald was 2-4 with a run and a triple
NOTEWORTHY
The game one victory snapped the Monks' five-game losing streak – the program's longest skid since the Royal Blue ended the 2005 campaign with six straight setbacks…Thompson picked up her first collegiate hit – a single through the right side in the bottom of the second – and stolen base in the game-two triumph…the SJC pitching staff has allowed 27 unearned runs through 16 games this spring…Murphy, who walked three times in the opener, leads the team with 11 free passes and has struck out just one time in 31 at-bats.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victories, Saint Joseph's improves to 19-0 in the history of the series with Mount Ida College. Prior to today, the most runs the Mustangs had scored versus the Monks was four – a total achieved twice (4/14/11& 4/4/14).
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's travels to Anna Maria College this Saturday for a GNAC twinbill starting at 12:00 PM. Mount Ida hosts University of Saint Joseph (CT) on Saturday in a conference doubleheader that also starts at 12:00 PM.
#GOMONKS
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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 474-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.