STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (14-4, 6-2 GNAC) employed two entirely different methods to post a pair of victories over Lasell College (4-10, 1-3 GNAC) in a GNAC softball doubleheader at Richard W. Bailey Field on Saturday afternoon.
In the opener, the Monks required a two-run, walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh from junior second baseman Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) to sneak past the Lasers by a 3-2 margin. With the sluggish opening game in the rear-view, the SJC offense exploded with 15 hits in a 14-0 laugher in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
In the first contest, Saint Joseph's looked to come out on top in a pitcher's duel, as Monks junior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) and Lasers freshman Eileen Bergin (Arlington, Mass.) locked heads for seven strong innings. The Monks struck first with a run in the third frame, when sophomore third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) beat out an infield single, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Grovo.
The narrow cushion held true until the top of the fifth when Bergin helped herself with a leadoff solo home run over the left field wall to knot the game at one-apiece.
Bergin opened the seventh inning with a walk, moved to second on a sac bunt and sprinted to third on a Courtney Moen (Brookfield, Mass.) groundout to Hendrix, who failed to check the runner, in the circle. The following batter, sophomore third baseman Denise Archetto (Cranston, R.I.), promptly plated Bergin with a base hit up the middle to lift the visitors to a 2-1 edge.
With only three outs left to either win or extend the contest, the Monks were forced to lean on a lineup that produced only four hits over the first six innings. As it played out, the hosts nearly doubled their hits output with three knocks in their final turn. Freshman designated player Alyssa Wade (Peru, Maine) led off with a single to left-center, freshman left fielder Marissa Hernandez (Goshen, N.Y.) walked and – following a Jordan line-out to second – Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) singled up the middle to pack the bases for Grovo, who belted a drive to deep left-center. The ball was just out of the reach of sophomore left fielder Amanda Szidat (Westford, Mass.), who ran a long distance to make a play, as Wade and Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) – who entered as a pinch-runner for Hernandez – scored to cinch the SJC victory.
Grovo, who went 4-4 with three RBI, was the game's lone repeat hitter. Hendrix allowed a pair of runs off five hits and four walks with four strikeouts to earn the victory.
Bergin took the loss after yielding three runs off seven hits and a pair of walks with four K's in 6.1 innings for the Lasers.
GAME TWO
The Lasers registered the first prime scoring opportunity in the top of the opening frame, as the visitors had the bases loaded with one out, but sophomore starting pitcher Laura Jordan (Orrington, Maine) doused the threat with a pair of punch-outs.
The hit parade began in the bottom of the second, when the Monks scored seven runs off seven hits to claim all of the momentum. Senior catcher Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine) led off with a double off base of the wall in left-center and later scored on a Danielle Leavitt (Spruce Head, Maine) groundout. Shufelt and Grovo rapped run-scoring base hits and junior shortstop Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) knocked in a pair with a base knock of her own before Hendrix and Tripp closed out the inning-scoring with RBI doubles.
The Lasers made a pitching change in the bottom of the third, as junior Samantha Whynot (Randolph, Mass.) entered the game in favor of senior hurler Alison Saluti (Braintree, Mass.), but the results were no better for the visitors, as the Monks continued to sting the ball to the tune of seven additional runs en route to claiming a 14-0 cushion. Grovo recorded a two-run single, Shufelt and Hendrix notched RBI singles and Moore knocked home a run with a two-bagger in the seven-run third.
For the Monks, Moore went 3-3 with two runs, a double and three RBI, Grovo was 2-3 with two runs and three RBI, Tripp registered a pair of doubles along with a run and an RBI, and Shufelt and Hendrix both added two hits, two runs and a pair of runs batted in. Jordan earned the victory after scattering two hits with two walks and three K's in three innings and freshman Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) worked two frames of effective relief, allowing two hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts in mop-up duty.
Saluti suffered the loss for the Lasers after giving up seven runs on eight hits and three walks while fanning a trio in the closing contest. Whynot failed to record an out and surrendered seven runs on seven hits.
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 12-4 in the history of the series with Lasell College. The Monks have now defeated the Lasers in nine-straight meetings dating back to the 2008 season.
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Tuesday when the Monks play host to in-state rival University of Southern Maine in a two-game set starting at 3:30 PM. Lasell jumps right back into conference play on Monday, as the Lasers host Simmons College in a doubleheader 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.
