STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (17-5, 9-3 GNAC) won both ends of a GNAC doubleheader with Emmanuel College (8-16, 3-9 GNAC) at a blustery Richard W. Bailey Field on Saturday afternoon. The Monks kicked off the twinbill with a 14-6 mercy-rule triumph and capped the sweep with an 8-1 victory in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
The Monks' prospects looked bleak in the opener, as the visiting-Saints scored four runs in the top of the first off Saint Joseph's junior pitcher Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus). Sophomore first baseman Alexandra Bressette (North Easton, Mass.) provided most of the visitors' punch with a three-run homer down the left field line in the first frame.
Unwilling to go down without a fight, the hosts plated three in the bottom of the first and countered an Emmanuel second-inning run with two of their own to knot the conference tilt at five-all heading into the third. Finally, in the bottom of the fourth senior catcher Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine) knocked home a pair with a double to left-center, scoring Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) and Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.), to provide the Royal Blue with their first lead of the day. For good measure, freshman first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) knocked in Tripp with an RBI single two batters later to lift the hosts to an 8-5 advantage.
Saint Joseph's went on to score four, including a pair on a Shufelt base knock, in the fifth and applied the mercy-rule with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Moore plated Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) with a single to end the game with two out in the latter half of the sixth.
For Saint Joseph's, Moore went 4-4 with three runs, two RBI and a stolen base, Shufelt was 3-5 with three runs, a double, three RBI and two steals, senior left fielder Danielle Leavitt (Spruce Head, Maine) went 3-4 with a run, two doubles and an RBI and Grovo added three hits, two runs, a two-bagger and an RBI in the victory. Mayhew also went 3-4 and knocked in a pair and Tripp drove in three runs on the afternoon.
After a shaky start, Hendrix was able to finish the game and improved to 4-1 on the season after yielding six runs off nine hits and five walks with four strikeouts.
Bressette was the only repeat-hitter for Emmanuel and went 3-4 with a double, a homer and four RBI in the losing effort. Starting pitcher Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) took the loss and allowed 10 runs (nine earned) off 13 hits and a walk with one punch-out before being lifted in favor of Jennifer Garrity (Lynn, Mass.), who gave up four runs on six hits and a walk in 1.2 innings of relief.
GAME TWO
The Monks picked up right where they left off in the closing contest, scoring a run in the first and three in the second to stake a 4-0 cushion out of the gates. Moore plated Grovo – who doubled to left - with a groundout in the first and sophomore third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine), Grovo and Moore all rapped RBI singles in the second to account for the four-run advantage.
Saint Joseph's proceeded to claim an 8-0 lead with four runs off two hits and a pair of Emmanuel errors in the bottom of the fourth. Shufelt and Moore scored on an infield miscue off the bat of Tripp, Kirin Schrum (Littleton, N.H.), who pinch-ran for Tripp, scrambled home on a wild pitch, and Hendrix crossed the plate for the Monks' eighth run on another misplayed ball in the infield.
The Saints managed to thwart the hosts' hopes of a second mercy-rule triumph by scoring a single run in the top of the fifth. With sophomore Laura Jordan (Orrington, Maine) in the circle, freshman second sacker Kerianne Vulpis (East Rockaway, N.Y.) singled and later scored on a Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.) groundout to make it an 8-1 game.
Emmanuel had a chance to jump back into the contest when the visitors filled the bases in the top of the sixth on a pair of base hits and a free pass, but Jordan bore down and took the final out of the inner herself with a strikeout.
For Saint Joseph's, Grovo went 2-3 with two runs, a double and an RBI and Moore was 2-4 with a run, two RBI and a stolen base in the sweep-capper. Hendrix worked three walks while Shufelt and Jordan both swiped a bag in the triumph.
In the circle, senior starter Kayla Vannah (Waldoboro, Maine) was perfect through 2.2 innings and picked up the win after allowing three hits and a walk with six K's in four innings. Jordan allowed a run off three hits and two free passes with a strikeout in two frames of relief while freshman Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) allowed one baserunner – via hit by pitch – in an otherwise clean seventh.
The Saints lacked a multiple-hit performer in the closing contest and freshman pitcher Val Kiers (West Warwick, R.I.) was hit with the loss after surrendering eight runs (four earned) off eight hits and four walks while fanning a pair in a complete-game effort.
Saint Joseph's returns to the diamond tomorrow afternoon with a pair of conference contests at Mount Ida College beginning at 12:00 PM. Emmanuel hosts University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Sunday in a twinbill slated to start at 12:00 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.
