BOSTON, Mass. – #3N Saint Joseph's College (13-22) edged #3S Johnson & Wales University (21-20), 3-2, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Tournament elimination game at Daly Field on Friday night.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's remains in contention for the conference championship and will face #1S Simmons University in another elimination game tomorrow at 12:30 PM at Daly Field. Simmons defeated Suffolk University, 8-1, earlier today to stave off elimination from the GNAC tourney.
For the 2018 GNAC Champion Wildcats, the loss signals the end of the 2019 campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the fifth, the Monks managed to score a pair of runs with two out to claim a 3-2 advantage. Junior second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) led off the inning with a single to center and moved into scoring position on a Meghan Elliott (Mendon, Mass.) sac bunt. Two batters later and with two out, junior third baseman Kaylee Burns (Saco, Maine) singled through the left side to bring her teammate home and – after junior Maizie Lee (Saco, Maine) was intentionally walked – scored what proved to be the winning run when freshman catcher Bailey Rassol (Rehoboth, Mass.) notched an RBI base hit up the middle.
The Wildcats had runners on first and second with one out in the top of the sixth, but SJC junior pitcher Kate Whitney (Jonesboro, Maine) induced an inning-ending double play (5-3) off the bat of sophomore right fielder Shari Minalga (Seymour, Conn.) to thwart the threat.
Johnson & Wales still had a lifeline with two out in the bottom of the seventh when freshman left fielder Megan Antaya (Somerset, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and later scampered to second on a passed ball, but senior third baseman Meghan Gavin (Wallingford, Conn.) grounded out to third to end the game.
JWU grabbed an early lead when senior second baseman Ally Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.) plated Antaya with a groundout and SJC tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third when Pomerleau singled and scored on an Elliott base hit. Antaya belted a solo home run with one out in the top of the fifth to lift her team to a 2-1 edge.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- SJC starter Kate Whitney improves to 7-10 on the season after allowing two runs (one earned) off six hits with four strikeouts and a walk in the complete-game performance
- JWU junior Kristin Frost (Pearl City, Hawaii) took the loss after yielding two runs off three hits and a walk with a strikeout in two innings of relief
- JWU freshman starter Summer Ramundo (Lincoln Park, N.J.) did not factor into the decision after giving up a run off three hits in 2.1 innings
- JWU sophomore MJ Bourgeois (Bradford, Vt.) scattered two hits in 1.2 frames of relief
OFF THE BAT:
- Pomerleau was 2-4 with two runs scored
- Rassol went 2-3 with an RBI
- Burns added a run and an RBI single in three at-bats
- For JWU, Antaya was 2-3 with two runs and a solo homer