BOSTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (3-12, 1-1 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) North Division doubleheader with Simmons University (5-14, 1-1 GNAC) on Sunday afternoon. The Sharks kicked off the twinbill with a 7-1 triumph and the Monks salvaged the split with a 6-0 nightcap victory.
SIMMONS 7, SAINT JOSEPH'S 1:
In the opener, Simmons put the Monks on their heels early with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first. St. Joe's managed to get a run back in the top of the third when sophomore Charlotte Cloutier (Lewiston, Maine) singled and scored on a Sadie Tirrell (Naples, Maine) base hit.
The Monks had their chances to at least cut their deficit but abandoned nine baserunners – including bases-loaded situations in the fourth and sixth innings – while the Sharks plated a pair in the fourth and single runs in the fifth and sixth to pick up their first GNAC win of the season.
IN THE CIRCLE:
SJC junior starting pitcher Madison Pelletier (New Gloucester, Maine) suffered the loss after giving up six runs on 12 hits and six walks with two strikeouts in six innings. Simmons starter Piper Kinney improved to 4-6 on the year after allowing one run on 10 hits with 13 K's in a complete-game performance.
AT THE BAT:
For the Monks, Tirrell, Cloutier, Kryslin Stearns (Concord, N.H.), and Paige Connery (Tyngsboro, Mass.) posted two hits apiece.
Raya Anderson, Emma Soule, Teagan Buckley, Ally Hyde, and Emily Deleault delivered two hits apiece for the Sharks.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 6, SIMMONS 0:
The Monks managed to snap a seven-game losing streak behind the stellar pitching performance from senior Lydia Goodnough (Kennebunkport, Maine) in the closing contest.
St. Joe's employed a small ball approach to secure a 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Tirrell led off with a single, moved to second on a Mollie Verreault (Scarborough, Maine) sac bunt, scampered to third on a wild pitch, and later scored on a Stearns sac fly to left field.
Stearns was in the middle of the Monks' scoring in the top of the third, as the freshman doubled to left-center and later scored on a Goodnough fielder's choice. With the bases loaded and two out, Tirrell plated Goodnough with a single through the left side, lifting her team to a 3-0 cushion.
Goodnough was dealing while her team tacked on insurance runs, as the senior did not yield a base hit until Soule singled with one out in the bottom of fourth. The Sharks advanced just one runner to third base in the 6-0 setback.
The Monks took a 4-0 lead in the sixth when sophomore Chantelle Bouchard (Biddeford, Maine) scored on an infield error and capped the game scoring in the seventh when Cloutier and Verreault rapped RBI singles.
IN THE CIRCLE:
Goodnough earned the first victory of her NCAA career after allowing three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in a complete-game shutout performance. Simmons starter Ally Hyde suffered the loss after giving up three runs on five hits and five walks in 2.2 innings.
AT THE BAT:
For Saint Joseph's, junior third baseman Sylvia Foley (Scarborough, Maine) was 3-4 with a double while Tirrell and Verreault posted two hits apiece.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's is scheduled to play at UMaine-Farmington on Wednesday. The first game of the non-conference doubleheader is slated to start at 3:30 PM.
