WATERVILLE, Maine – Thomas College (6-8) picked up a pair of wins over Saint Joseph's College (5-7) in a non-conference softball doubleheader played at Colby College on Friday afternoon. The Terriers opened with a 10-5 triumph and completed the sweep with a walk-off 6-5 victory.
GAME ONE – THOMAS 10, SAINT JOSEPH'S 5:
Thomas established a sizable lead early in the opener, as the hosts put a six spot on the board in the bottom of the first with half of the runs coming on one swing – a three-run homer off the bat of freshman Megan Oberholzer (Hancock, Md.).
The Monks countered with two runs in the top of the second when freshman catcher Sadie Tirrell (Naples, Maine) rapped an RBI double. The Terriers tacked on single runs in the second and third frames while the Royal Blue added a run off a Paige Connery (Tyngsboro, Mass.) single in the third and senior first baseman Olivia Howe (Arundel, Maine) delivered a two-run triple in the fourth to make it an 8-5 game.
Thomas all but clinched the win with a pair of runs on a hit and an SJC error in the bottom of the sixth to account for the 10-5 final. The Monks had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh, but graduate starter Kelsey Currier (Cumberland, Maine) slammed the door.
IN THE CIRCLE:
Senior starter Meredith Pence (Remington, Va.) falls to 3-1 on the young season after yielding eight runs on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts over three innings. Senior Sydney Hatch (Newburgh, Maine) allowed two runs off five hits and two walks with three K's in three innings of relief.
Currier picked up the win for the Terriers after giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits and three free passes with eight punchouts in a complete-game performance.
OFF THE BAT:
- Howe was 3-3 with a double, a triple, a run scored, and an RBI
- Connery went 3-4 with an RBI and a stolen base
- Tirrell added two hits in four at-bats with a run, a double, and an RBI
- For the Terriers, Maddie Rock (Bridgton, Maine) was 2-4 with a double, a run, and two RBI, Kayla Duhaime (Ellsworth, Maine) went 2-2 with three runs and a triple, and Makayla Panich (Windham, N.H.) produced three hits in four at-bats with a pair of RBI
GAME TWO – THOMAS 6, SAINT JOSEPH'S 5:
Sophomore third baseman Sylvia Foley (Scarborough, Maine) belted a three-run homer to kick off the scoring in the top of the first, but the Terriers answered with a two-run shot off the bat of Kelsey Currier to make it a 3-2 game after one inning of play.
Freshman second baseman Hannah Gosselin (Biddeford, Maine) put her team ahead by a 5-2 score with a two-run double in the top of the second and the three-run lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when Thomas plated three runs on two hits and a pair of SJC errors to knot the game at 5-5.
After a scoreless sixth inning, the Terriers managed to push across the game-winning run with two out in the bottom of the seventh, when Rock singled up the middle, stole second and third, and scored on an Oberholzer base hit.
IN THE CIRCLE:
Senior Emily Eagleston (Reading, Mass.) suffered the loss after giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks with five K's in 6.2 innings.
Oberholzer picked up the victory for the Terriers after allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts in seven innings.
OFF THE BAT:
- Foley was 1-3 with a three-run jack and Gosselin went 1-4 with a two-run two-bagger
- For Thomas, Currier hit a three-run homer and knocked in four and Oberholzer knocked in a pair
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play a non-conference doubleheader at University of New England on Wednesday. The opener is set to start at 4:00 PM.
