WEST HAVEN, CT – Saint Joseph's College (13-3, 3-1 GNAC) split a doubleheader with University of Saint Joseph (6-4, 1-1 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball action at West Hartford High School on Sunday afternoon.
The Blue Jays bested the Monks by a 7-4 score in the opener but the Monks salvaged a split with a 7-2 victory in the nightcap. Saint Joseph (CT) outhit Saint Joseph's, 13-9, and scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth en route to claiming the opener.
Senior hurler Kayla Vannah (Waldoboro, Maine) served as the stopper in the closing contest, allowing two runs off six hits with four K's to improve to 3-2 on the season, and the Monks rattled off 13 hits – including nine while scoring seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined – in a 7-2 victory.
In the opener, sophomore third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) was 3-3 with a run two doubles and an RBI and Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) went 3-4 with a two-base hit and an RBI. Also the starting pitcher, Hendrix was hit with the losing decision after yielding six runs (five earned) of 11 hits and four walks with three K's in 5.2 innings.
For the Blue Jays, first baseman Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had three hits and three RBI, third baseman Ashley Gall (Stafford Springs, Conn.) went 2-3 with three runs, two doubles and two RBI and Haley McCall (Lebanon, Conn.) was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Saint Joseph (CT) starting pitcher Emily Hummel (Hebron, Conn.) improved to 4-0 on the season after allowing three earned runs off nine hits and three walks in a complete-game effort.
With Vannah in control in the circle, the Monks' bats finally came around middle innings to earn the split. Junior shortstop Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) led the offense by going 2-2 with a run, a double and three RBI and Jordan continued to swing a hot bat in the nine-hole, adding two hits in three at bats with two runs, a double and an RBI in the victory. Seniors Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) and Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine) added two hits apiece for the Monks.
Senior shortstop Stephanie Valerio (Wolcott, Conn.) went 2-3 with a run and a double and was the Blue Jays' lone repeat-hitter in the nightcap. Senior pitcher Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) took the loss after surrendering four runs (three earned) off seven hits and a pair of walks in 4.1 innings. Emily Vigue (Lebanon, Conn.) worked 2.2 frames in relief and fared no better, allowing three runs off six hits and a walk in the loss.
Saint Joseph's returns to action Thursday when the Monks host GNAC-rival Rivier University in the 2013 home-opener beginning at 3:00 PM. University of Saint Joseph (CT) plays at Bay Path College on Tuesday in a non-conference twinbill slated to start at 3:00 PM.
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.
