STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (2-4) swept a non-conference doubleheader with Bates College (0-2) at Richard W. Bailey Field on Saturday afternoon. The Monks picked up their first win of the young season with a 5-1 triumph in the opener and completed the sweep with a 6-5 victory.
GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 5, Bates 1
St. Joe's grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when senior Megan Eagleston (Reading, Mass.) notched an RBI single. Bates tied the game in the top of the second, but the Monks went on to score three runs off three hits and a Bates error in the third, when sophomore shortstop Olivia Howe (Arundel, Maine) worked a bases loaded walk and Eagleston plated a pair with a single.
The Monks capped the game scoring in the bottom of the fifth when junior Bailey Rassol (Rehoboth, Mass.) sent pinch-runner Haley Brann (Gardiner, Maine) home with a double to left-center.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- Sophomore Meredith Pence (Remington, Va.) earned the victory after giving up one run on five hits and five walks with three strikeouts in a complete-game effort
- Bates starter Payton Buxton (Middlebury, Vt.) allowed five runs (four earned) off nine hits and a walk with three K's in six innings
OFF THE BAT:
- Eagleston was 3-3 with three RBI
- Senior center fielder Meranda Martin (Richmond, Maine) went 2-4 with a run scored
- Bates senior center fielder Caroline Bass (Newton, Mass.) added two hits, a double, a stolen base, and an RBI in the setback
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 6, Bates 5
In the nightcap, the Bobcats grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when sophomore third baseman Amanda Taylor (Fair Lawn, N.J.) belted a mammoth two-run homer that landed in right-center field of Larry Mahaney Diamond, well beyond the right-center wall of Richard W. Bailey Field.
The Monks countered with five runs off five hits in the bottom of the second, when Martin delivered a two-run triple to right-center and Alexis Downs (Auburn, Maine) and Lydia Howarth (Kennebunkport, Maine) notched RBI singles. Sophomore Amaya Dacier (East Providence, R.I.) also drove in a run with a fielder's choice to make it a 5-2 game through two innings.
In the bottom of the third, freshman right fielder Taylor Owen (Wakefield, Mass.) plated Eagleston with a sac fly to make it a four-run contest.
The Bobcats tightened the collar considerably in the top of the fifth by scoring three runs off four hits, including an RBI single from Rachel Liazos (Westborough, Mass.) and a run-scoring double off the bat of Mary Collette (Watertown, Conn.).
Bates had the tying run at second, and eventually two runners on with two out, in the top of the seventh, but sophomore reliever Emily Eagleston (Reading, Mass.) closed the door with a harmless fly-out to left field.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- SJC sophomore starter Sydney Hatch (Newburgh, Maine) picked up the win after allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks in 4.2 innings
- Emily Eagleston earned the save with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief
- Bates senior starter Jevan Sandhu (Plymouth, N.H.) took the loss after giving up six runs on 10 hits and four walks with one strikeout in six innings
OFF THE BAT:
- For the Monks, Howarth, Megan Eagleston, and Downs produced two hits apiece
- For the Bobcats, Bass, Liazos, and Sandhu delivered two hits each
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the pair of victories Saint Joseph's improves to 12-11 all-time versus Bates College, a team the Monks have faced just once (4/4/19) since the 2006 campaign.
NEXT!
The Monks are scheduled to play a pair of games at University of Southern Maine on Tuesday, April 6th. First pitch is set for 4:00 PM.
