STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (24-4, 16-2 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader with Johnson & Wales University at Richard W. Bailey Field on Thursday afternoon. The Monks suffered a 3-2 loss in the opener and rebounded with a 6-0 triumph in the nightcap to salvage the split.
GAME ONE – Johnson & Wales 3, Saint Joseph's 2
Both starting pitchers - Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass.) for the hosts and Taylor Cwalinski (Jackson, N.J.) for the visitors - were perfect through two frames, but the Wildcats broke through with a run in the top of the third to claim a 1-0 lead. Freshman right fielder Ariana Caffeso (Johnston, R.I.) led off the inning with a single and moved to up 120 feet on successive sac bunts by sophomore first baseman Jessica George (Andover, N.H.) and sophomore designated player Carly Cabral (Warwick, R.I.) before scoring on a passed ball.
Featuring some of the top pitching in the conference, the Wildcats seemed to put the game to rest by scoring two runs off three hits in the top of the fourth. Cwalinski helped her cause by singling to lead off the inning and later came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore catcher Kristen Solari (Old Bridge, N.J.). Freshman third baseman Emily Gorecki (Bremerton, Wash.) doubled and eventually scored the visitors' third run on a Cynthia Proby (Bremerton, Wash.) two-bagger.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Monks scored a run off two hits and a JWU error to make it a 3-1 contest. Junior third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) opened with a five-pitch walk – a free pass that resulted in a pitching change for the Wildcats, as Cwalinski and senior Tayla Gardner (Orangreburg, N.Y.), who started at second base, traded places. Jordan quickly moved to second on a passed ball and scampered to third on a Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) single before scoring on an infield error.
The Monks tacked on an additional run off a pair of hits in the bottom of the fifth, making it a one-run game with two innings to play. Freshman catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) led off with a single through the left side and was removed in favor of freshman pinch runner Molly Mack (Portland, Maine/McAuley). Junior right fielder Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I.) dropped down a sac bunt to move Mack to second and the sophomore scored on a Jordan base hit two batters later.
Unfortunately, the Monks failed to produce a baserunner in their final two turns at the plate as Gardner sat all six batters she faced, including the final two – Murphy and Ramos – by way of the strikeout.
Copan suffered the loss for the Monks after allowing three runs (two earned) off six hits with three K's over seven innings.
For the Wildcats, Proby went 2-3 with a double and an RBI and Cwalinski was 2-3 with a run and did not factor into the decision in the circle after tossing three no-hit innings with six strikeouts and one run allowed. Gardner improved to 16-1 on the year after allowing a run off four hits with four K's in four innings of relief.
GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 6, Johnson & Wales 0
Saint Joseph's wasted no time getting on the board in the nightcap. With two out in the bottom of the first, senior Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) reached on an infield single and later scored when freshman shortstop Danica Gleason (South Portland, Maine) rapped a line drive single up the middle.
The Wildcats squandered an excellent scoring opportunity in the top of the fourth, as the visitors failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded, one-out situation. Sophomore starting pitcher Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) methodically worked her way out of the jam, inducing a pair of harmless groundouts to preserve the 1-0 edge.
Boulanger's ability to keep the Wildcats at bay seemed to energize the SJC dugout and the momentum quickly paid dividends, as the hosts plated three off three hits in the bottom of the fourth to essentially put the game out of reach. Sophomore left fielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) and second-year first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) reached with back to back singles and freshman catcher Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) was later hit by a pitch to fill the bases for Grovo, who sent all three runners home with a double to right-center.
St. Joe's tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth and Grovo was the catalyst again, as the senior captain knocked in both runs with a single through the right side to account for the 6-0 final.
For the Monks, Grovo was 2-4 with a double and five RBI while Gleason and Mayhew notched two hits apiece in the shutout victory. Boulanger was brilliant in the circle, scattering five hits with no walks in the complete-game shutout.
For Moore, the single in the first inning counted as the 200th hit in her outstanding collegiate career. She is just the third player in program history – joining former teammates Emily Leverone '12 (258) and Danyelle Shufelt '13 (231) to reach the 200-hit plateau.
Cwalinski suffered the loss for the Wildcats after yielding three runs off six hits with one punch-out over three innings of work. Gardner surrendered three runs (two earned) off a pair of hits and a walk with three K's in three frames of relief.
With the split, Saint Joseph's is now 13-2 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University.
Both teams face off against GNAC opponents tomorrow afternoon, when Saint Joseph's travels to Anna Maria College for a twinbill beginning at 12:00 PM and Johnson & Wales hosts Rivier University in a two-game set starting at 3:00 PM.
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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.
