NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Saint Joseph's College (9-3, 1-1 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader with Albertus Magnus College (5-7, 1-1 GNAC), falling 5-2 in the opener and winning 2-1 in the nightcap, on Saturday afternoon. Senior third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) was 6-7 with a double, triple and home run in the conference twinbill.
In the opener, Albertus grabbed the early lead by scoring twice off three hits in the bottom of the first when Melissa Castillo (Taftville, Conn.) and Daysia Wehder (Queens, N.Y.) knocked in runs with a single and a double, respectively.
The Falcons tacked on single runs in the fourth and fifth frames en route to claiming a 4-0 cushion, as Carli Matrisian (Milford, Conn.) scored on an infield error in the former and Rachel Cataudella (Shelton, Conn.) walked home on a bases-loaded walk in the latter.
The Monks finally found the scoreboard in the sixth when sophomore shortstop Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) launched a two-run homer, cutting the visitors' deficit in half. Junior right fielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.), who reached on an error, scored on the long ball, which was the first jack of Harrison's collegiate career.
Albertus Magnus extended the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Castillo plated Brittney Urciuoli (Newington, Conn.) with a base hit. Saint Joseph's had the bases loaded with two out in the top of the seventh, but could not convert.
Kim Jordan was 3-3 with a triple and sophomore catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) was 2-4 with a two-bagger in the setback. Senior pitcher Laura Jordan (Orrington, Maine) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) off seven hits and three walks with four K's in 4.2 innings. Sophomore Danielle Egan (Waterboro, Maine) yielded a run off three hits and a free pass while fanning a pair in 1.1 innings of relief.
Megan Ferraro (Branford, Conn.) picked up the win for the Falcons after tossing 5.1 innings of two-run, six-hit ball and Samantha Maselli (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) picked up the save after scattering two hits with a pair of K's in 1.2 innings of work.
Saint Joseph's struck first in the closing contest when Kim Jordan led off the game with a home run, her first of the season. Albertus managed to tie the game with a run off two hits in the third when Urciuoli walked and scored on an Amanda Jessey (East Haven, Conn.) base hit, but senior pitcher Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) helped herself by leading off the fourth with a solo jack, a blast that proved to be the game-winner as the three-time All-Conference player held the Falcons to just two hits over the final four innings.
Kim Jordan was the lone repeat-hitter in the nightcap, as the senior went 3-4 with a double and a homer. Hendrix claimed her second win of the season after allowing one run off four hits with eight K's in a complete-game effort.
Maselli took the loss for the Falcons after yielding two runs off four hits over 4.1 innings of work.
Saint Joseph's is now 15-2 in the history of the series with Albertus Magnus College.
Saint Joseph's is scheduled to host Lasell College this Saturday in a conference doubleheader slated to start at 1:00 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.
