FORT MYERS, FL – Saint Joseph's (8-2) closed out a successful spring trip on Saturday with a pair of victories, tipping University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, 6-2, and Nichols College, 12-2. Senior left fielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) was 5-6 with four runs, a double, a pair of triples and three RBI in the two wins.

The Corsairs opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first, as freshman first baseman Alea Martinelli (Everett, Mass.) led off with a single, stole second and scored on a Marissa Spinuzzi (Fair Lawn, N.J.) double.

Saint Joseph's struck quickly with a run in the top of the second, as freshman shortstop Danica Gleason (South Portland, Maine) tripled to lead off the frame and scored two batters later when sophomore first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) grounded out, tying the contest at 1-1.

UMass.-Dartmouth regained the lead, albeit briefly, in the bottom of the third inning with the same two players – Martinelli and Spinuzzi – in the middle of the action yet again. With one out, Martinelli singled, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored when Spinuzzi roped a single through the left side.

The see-saw battle would come to a close in the top of the fourth, when the Monks scored twice off three hits and a Corsairs miscue to claim the lead for good. Gleason and Hendrix opened with consecutive singles and moved up a base on a Mayhew sacrifice bunt, setting the stage for freshman catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.), who drove both of her teammates across the plate with a single through the right side, lifting the Royal Blue to a 3-2 edge.

Saint Joseph's proceeded to gain some breathing room with a pair of runs in the sixth and added an insurance run in the seventh to account for the 6-2 final score.

Hendrix paced the SJC offense by going 3-4 with a double and two runs scored while Murphy went 2-3 with a run and three RBI and Gleason was 2-4 with a pair of runs and a three-bagger in the victory.

Senior pitcher Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass.) improved to 4-0 on the trip after allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out eight in a complete-game effort.

Spinuzzi took the loss for the Corsairs after yielding three runs on five hits and a pair of free passes with four K's in four innings.

The Monks concluded the 2014 Florida trip on a high note with team-highs of 12 runs and 16 hits in a mercy-rule victory over Nichols College.

After one scoreless frame in which neither club managed to produce a baserunner, the Monks' offense exploded with nine runs off nine hits in the top of the second to put the game away early. Hendrix managed what must be one of the rarest feats in NCAA Softball by tripling twice in the same inning while Gleason came up twice in the frame and produced a double and a single in the second.

Saint Joseph's tacked on three more runs in the fourth, as Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Connie Grovo (Limington, N.H.) and Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) drove in a run apiece to lift the Royal Blue to a 12-0 lead.

For the Monks, 11 different players notched at least one hit in the victory while Hendrix, Gleason, Grovo and Harrison all produced a pair of knocks in the one-sided win.

Junior hurler Laura Jordan (Orrington, Maine) improved to 1-1 on the season after allowing two runs on four hits and a pair of walks with three K's in five innings of work.

For the Bison, freshman catcher Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) came up with half of her team's hits and was 2-2 with a double in a losing effort. Starting pitcher Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) was hit with the loss after giving up nine runs on seven hits and a pair of free passes in 1.2 innings.

Saint Joseph's flies home tomorrow and returns to the diamond with a pair of conference contests at Emmanuel College on Friday, March 28th.

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 430-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.