FORT MYERS, FL – Saint Joseph's College (6-2) split a pair of contests in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Thursday morning. The Monks posted a 7-1 victory over Albright College (PA) (0-7) and closed the day's action with a 3-1 setback at the hands of Bethany Lutheran College (MN) (6-6).
GAME ONE
Against Albright, Saint Joseph's scored all the runs the team needed in the top of the first when junior shortstop Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) plated senior center fielder Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) with a double and later scored on a Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine) two-bagger.
The Lions answered with a run in the bottom of the opening inning, as Kiersten Gilfoy (Aston, Pa.) reached on an outfield error and later scored on another Saint Joseph's miscue to cut the Monks' cushion down to 2-1 after one frame.
In the top of the second, the Monks proceeded to score twice off three hits and an Albright error, all with two out. Sophomore third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) ignited the two-run inning with a double to center and scored when the following batter, Shufelt, reached on an error. Shufelt promptly stole second to move into scoring position and scored on a Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) single through the right side to make it a 4-1 game.
Saint Joseph's went on to cap the game scoring with three runs off three hits in the top of the fourth. The frame began with the same blueprint as the first inning: Shufelt reached on a bunt single, moved to second when Grovo laid down a sac bunt, and scored on a Moore double. Junior left fielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) knocked in Moore with a two-base hit of her own and, after scampering to third on a wild pitch, scored the game's final run on a Tripp sac fly to center.
Although the SJC offense put up seven runs off seven hits, the story of the contest should be the effort posted by freshman pitcher Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.), who allowed one unearned run off six hits and three walks with eight K's in her first NCAA start.
Offensively for St. Joe's, Moore continued to swing a hot bat and was 3-4 with two runs, two doubles and a pair of RBI, Shufelt went 3-4 with three runs scored and Tripp added two hits in three trips with a two-bagger and two runs batted in.
Albright starter Lacey Porzuc (Burlington Twp., N.J.) took the loss after yielding seven runs off 11 hits with a pair of K's in 3.1 innings. Allie Frank (Malvern, Pa.) entered the game in the fourth and fanned six over 3.2 innings of relief.
GAME TWO
In the closing contest of the day, the Monks ran into a buzz saw in Bethany Lutheran junior pitcher Nicole Starkson (Mankato, Minn.), who allowed just four hits with nine strikeouts in a complete-game victory.
After allowing a run in the first, Saint Joseph's senior hurler Kayla Vannah (Waldoboro, Maine) matched her counterpart for the following five frames before giving up a pair in the top of the seventh to fall to 1-2 on the young season.
The Vikings got on the board in the first with the help of some good old fashioned small ball. Chester led off with a walk, moved to second on an Aimie Wiechmann (Plymouth, Minn.) sacrifice bunt, raced to second on an Ashley Jensen (Delano, Minn.) groundout to the right side and scored when Amanna Berthusen (Marshalltown, Iowa) singled through the left side to make it a 1-0 game.
Saint Joseph's knotted the contest at one-apiece in the third when Shufelt singled, stole second and scored on yet another Moore double.
From this point forward, neither team would record a base hit until the top of the seventh when Bethany Lutheran rapped three hits en route to scoring a pair of runs. With one out, Starkson helped her cause with a double to center and promptly scored when the very next batter, Kelsey Pekarna (Jordan, Minn.), belted a two-base hit to left. Two batters later, Angela Timm (Wood Lake, Minn.) singled through the left side to plate Pekarna and lift the Vikings to a 3-1 lead.
Starkson yielded a pair of groundouts and a fly-out in the bottom of the inning to collect the victory.
Shufelt went 2-3 with a run and a pair of stolen bases and was the Monks' lone repeat-hitter in the losing effort. Starkson went 2-3 with a run and a double for the Vikings.
In the circle, Vannah allowed three runs off five hits and one walk and fanned a pair of Vikings in the contest, which required just one hour to complete.
Saint Joseph's concludes the 2013 Spring Trip with games against Franklin & Marshall University (9:00 AM) and Polytechnic (NY) (11:00 AM) on Friday.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
