STANDISH, ME - Emily Leverone
'11 (Hampton, NH) was 4-6 with two home runs and four RBI's as the
Lady Monks (18-10, 10-6 GNAC) split a conference doubleheader with
Suffolk (14-13, 10-4) on Saturday afternoon.
Leverone now has six home runs this season, with a
three-run blast in the 9-6 opening win and a solo shot in the 7-1
nightcap loss, and is tied with Kelly Premo '02,
who hit six in a campaign twice, for the single-season high at St.
Joe's.
After allowing just two earned runs through six frames, game one
starter Kiera Walsh '11 (Benton,
ME) hit a rough patch in the top of the seventh against the Rams.
With one out in the frame, three consecutive singles packed the
bases for Suffolk standout Jessica Ferreira '09 (Cambridge, MA),
who proceeded to belt a Walsh offering over the fence to cut the
visitors' deficit to 9-6. With the help of reliever
Madylan Kluna '12 (Standish, ME),
who induced a line-out to short from Cali Loura '12 (Farmington,
CT) to end the game, Walsh improved to 7-3 on the
year after allowing 12 hits and one walk with six strikeouts in 6
2/3 innings.
GAME ONE
The Leverone three-run shot, so deep to right that
the ball nearly struck Monks baseball center fielder Wade Oliver
(the Monks were playing Norwich at the time), in the first inning
gave the Lady Monks an early cushion for Walsh to
work with. Alysn Ludwig '09
(Waldoboro, ME) tripled and Anna
Willis '10 (Gorham, ME) singled to set the table
for Leverone.
The Lady Monks went on to add two more runs to their lead in their
following trip to the plate. With two out, Liz
Jordan '09 (Sandwich, MA) reached with a single
and stole second and Ludwig did the same. With
runners now on second and third, Willis followed
with a single to send both runners across the plate, lifting the
hosts to a 5-0 advantage after two frames.
Suffolk nibbled away at the SJC lead with single runs in the third
and fourth innings. A Marie Treanor '09 (Winthrop, MA) double
plated Valerie Liberatore '10 (Chelsea, MA) in the third and Karina
Bolster '12 (Carlisle, PA) hit a solo home run in the fourth to
make the score 5-2, St. Joe's.
The Royal Blue proceeded to score four runs off three hits, two
walks, an error and a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth.
Ellen Neff '11 (Chester, VT),
Jordan and Ludwig loaded the bases with base hits.
Neff scored on a miscue by Suffolk second sacker
Monica Cioffi '11 (East Boston, MA) and Leverone was intentionally
walked to reload the bases. Liddy van der Linden
'10 (Worcester, MA) walked to plate Jordan and
Ludwig scrambled home on an
Alyssa Dunn '11 (Standish, ME)
sacrifice fly. Christy Wezowicz
'10 (Granville, MA), pinch running for Leverone,
scored on a wild pitch by Rams reliever Brooke Hirschfield '12
(Winchester, MA) to put the Lady Monks up by seven, 9-2.
Ludwig was 3-4 with three runs scored and a stolen
base in the opener and Jordan tallied three hits
in three tries with two runs and two swipes in the win.
Trainor went 4-4 in the game one loss for Suffolk and Kellie
Hurlock '09 (East Lyme, CT) was 2-4. Rams starter Elizabeth Galvin
'12 (Medway, MA) surrendered five runs on eight hits in two innings
to take the loss and Hirschfield allowed four runs, six hits and
three walks with four punch outs in four innings of relief.
GAME TWO
Suffolk seemed to pick up where they left off to start the
nightcap, as the Rams scored four runs on five hits in the top of
the first. Rebecca Shalit '09 (Miami, FL) and Loura collected RBI
singles and Hurlock plated a pair of runs with a two-bagger to
account for the 4-0 lead. Three of the runs crossed the plate after
two outs were made.
Three and a half scoreless innings followed, as SJC starter
Christy Wezowicz settled down
after the shaky start to allow just two hits over the next three
frames.
Wezowicz was lifted in favor of
Kluna in the top of the fifth, however. Ferreira
greeted the junior captain with a lead off solo blast and Schalit
and Hurlock reached with a single and double, respectively, before
Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92 was forced to tap into
his bullpen. Entering the inning with runners on second and third
with one out, Kluna managed to limit the Rams to
one run, making the score 6-0 after 4 ½ innings.
The Lady Monks' lone run came in the sixth when
Leverone connected for her sixth homer of the
year. The Rams tacked on a run in the seventh to salvage a split
with the 7-1 nightcap win.
Leverone was the only SJC player to record
multiple hits in the second game and clocked in with a 2-3 effort.
Wezowicz (5-2) took the loss in the circle after
allowing six runs on 10 hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Kluna tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief and allowed
one run on three hits.
Ludwig stole three bases in the conference twin
bill and now has six on the season. The junior outfielder began the
2009 campaign needing nine steals to pass SJC career leader
Kellie Glantz '97, who swiped 57 bags while
donning the Royal Blue. Ludwig, now with 55 career
steals, will most certainly break the program record this week.
With 13 hits as a team, the Rams had five players check in with
multiple-hit efforts. Loura and Schalit both notched three hits,
and Cioffi, Ferreira and Hurlock all had two hits apiece in the
triumph. Starter Carissa Roche '12 (Swampscott, MA) earned the
victory and allowed six hits and one run with six strikeouts and no
walks in the complete game effort.
Saint Joseph's will host Emmanuel College in a conference
doubleheader on Wednesday at 3:30 PM. Suffolk will play at Emmanuel
on Tuesday with the first game of the twin bill scheduled to begin
at 6:00 PM.
