BOSTON, MA - The St. Joe's softball team swept GNAC rival Emmanuel College to improve to 15-9 overall and 10-4 in conference play. The Lady Monks rallied to score 7 runs in their last two trips to the plate to earn a 9-7 victory in the opener. Sophomore slugger Jillian Kimball (Albany TWP, ME) went 7-7 with 6 RBI's in the twinbill. Sophomore starting pitcher Christy Wezowicz (Granville, ME) threw five innings in the mercy-rule shortened nightcap and allowed 4 hits while striking out 4 to earn her fifth victory of the season.

GAME ONE

St. Joe's started the scoring in the opening game after FY Cat DeSimone (Waterboro, ME) hit a sac fly in the second inning to send home FY Alyssa Dunn (Standish, ME), who led off the inning with a triple.

Emmanuel fired back in the bottom of the second to score five runs off of 6 hits. Saints shortstop Danielle Andruskiwec (Orange, CT) provided some offensive punch with a two-out, two-RBI triple in the inning.

The Lady Monks managed to chip away at the four-run deficit by adding a run off a Kimball RBI single that scored JR Alysn Ludwig (Waldoboro, ME) in the top of the third to lessen the Emmanuel lead to 5-2.

Saints second baseman Kristina Borrelli (Kingstown, MA) added to her team's lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth.

The Lady Monks, down 7-2, rallied to score 4 runs in the top of the sixth inning to draw within one score of the Saints. Jillian Kimball began the scoring with a one-out RBI double that scored SO Kayla Soucy (Colebrook, NH), who had opened the inning when she reached via an Emmanuel miscue. After a SO Liddy van der Linden (Worcester, MA) groundout, Alyssa Dunn singled to send home SO Anna Willis (Gorham, ME), who worked a walk earlier in the inning. Both Kimball and FY Jillian McInnis (Peabody, MA) scored on a DeSimone single to cap the scoring for the inning.

St. Joe's needed one more offensive push to extend the game in the top of the seventh with Emmanuel leading 7-6. Offensive catalyst Alysn Ludwig led off the inning with a single and promptly swiped second base to get into scoring position. Anna Willis followed with a line drive to the Emmanuel rightfielder that was misplayed and resulted in a four-base error, scoring both Ludwig and Willis and giving the Lady Monks an 8-7 lead. Kimball followed with a double and was driven home by a van der Linden single to cap the game scoring. Starting pitcher SO Kiera Walsh (Benton, ME), despite a rocky start, settled down to not allow a run in the final three innings and preserve an SJC victory.

For St. Joe's, Jillian Kimball was 3-3 with 2 runs, 2 RBI's and 2 doubles, Alyssa Dunn went 2-3 with a run and an RBI and Alysn Ludwig, Anna Willis both scored 2 runs in the victory. Kiera Walsh struck out 6 in the complete game effort on the mound to improve her season record to 10-3.

For Emmanuel, SO Samantha Luther (Carlisle, MA) was 3-4 with a run and an RBI, Kristina Borrelli was 2-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI's, Danielle Andruskiwec was 2-4 with 2 RBI's and SR Jennifer Walsh was 2-4 with a run scored. Starting pitcher Stephanie Rege (Chicopee, MA) takes the loss.

GAME TWO

The Lady Monks sustained the momentum in the nightcap and went on to stake an early 5-0 lead with five hits and two Emmanuel errors in the first inning. Jillian Kimball doubled home two runs, both Liddy van der Linden and FY Renee Leach (Shapleigh, ME) registered RBI singles and Megan Farrell drilled an RBI triple in the inning.

Alysn Ludwig singled to lead off the second inning, reached second on a wild pitch and recorded her 16th stolen base of the season by swiping third base before being sent home on a Jillian Kimball single to give St. Joe's a 6-0 lead.

Renee Leach tripled with one out in the third inning and FY Natasha Howard (Farmington, ME) singled to send her home to extend the SJC lead to 7-0.

St. Joe's tacked on 3 more runs in the 5th inning to take a 10-0 lead. Megan Farrell recorded an RBI triple, Renee Leach registered an RBI on a sac fly and Jillian Kimball notched an RBI single in the inning.

Emmanuel managed to score a run off of a Danielle Andruskiwec double in the bottom of the fifth to make the final score 10-1 as the game was cut short due to the eight-run mercy rule.

For the Lady Monks, Jillian Kimball continued to swing a hot bat and was 4-4 with 4 RBI's and a double in the win. JR Liz Jordan (Sandwich, MA), Megan Farrell and Renee Leach all recorded two hits in the game.

St. Joe's will host GNAC foe Daniel Webster College on Tuesday, April 15th in a conference doubleheader that is set for a 3:00 PM start.