STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (12-4, 4-2 GNAC) won both ends of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader versus Norwich University (3-11, 1-5 GNAC) at Richard W. Bailey Field on Friday afternoon. The Monks edged the Cadets, 1-0, in the opener and completed the sweep with a 7-1 nightcap triumph.
Due to the condition of the Cadets' home field, Norwich opted to play today's twinbill at Bailey Field and played as the home team for both contests.
GAME ONE
As the 1-0 score surely indicates, the opening contest featured very little in the way of offense, as the conference counterparts combined for 11 total hits (10 singles) in what turned out to be a pitchers' duel.
The Monks recorded the only offense they would require in the top of the third, when senior right fielder Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I.) led off with an infield single, moved to second on a Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) groundout, scampered to third on a passed ball and scored on second passed ball.
Saint Joseph's held on to the 1-0 lead for the duration, but the game was not without drama. The first tenuous situation occurred in the bottom of the fifth, when senior starter Laura Jordan (Orrington, Maine) worked her way out of a bases-loaded with two out scenario by inducing a harmless groundout. Senior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus), beckoned from her left field post to close out the contest after Jordan Day (Andover, Mass.) opened the bottom of the seventh with a double, found herself in trouble with runners on first and third and one out. Hendrix got some help from sophomore catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.), who picked off Day at third on a first and third steal play and induced a game-ending groundout to second base to collect her first save of the season.
For the Monks, Jordan improved to 3-1 on the year after scattering six hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in six innings.
Norwich left fielder Justina George (Wallingford, Conn.) went 2-3 and was the only repeat-hitter for either team in the opener. Starting pitcher Taylor Morris (Haverhill, Mass.) suffered the hard-luck loss after giving up an unearned run off five hits and two walks with two K's over seven frames.
GAME TWO
In the nightcap, Saint Joseph's scored twice in the first inning and succeeded in not relinquishing the lead for the remainder of play. With two out and runners on first and third, Murphy plated both with a single to center. Tripp and Hendrix, who both reached via base on balls, scored on the base hit.
The Cadets cut their deficit in half with a run off two hits in the fourth, when Sarah Perry (New Bedford, Mass.) led off with a double and later scored on a sac fly off the bat of Angie Hershberger (Felton, Calif.).
The Monks proceeded to put the game well out of reach with five runs in the sixth and seventh innings combined. In the sixth, junior first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) reached on an infield error and Hendrix singled to set the stage for Murphy, who belted a two-run double to lift the Royal Blue to a 4-1 advantage. In the seventh, Mayhew singled up the middle and later scored on a Murphy base hit, Hendrix reached on a base knock and tapped home plate when freshman second baseman Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine) grounded out to first, and junior right fielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) capped the game scoring with an RBI single, sending Murphy home for the 7-1 final.
For the Monks, Murphy was 3-4 with a run, a double and a career-high five RBI and Hendrix was 3-3 with three runs scored. Junior pitcher Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) improved to 3-0 after allowing a run off five hits and a walk with a pair of K's in a complete game effort.
For the Cadets, Morris went 2-3 with a double and staring pitcher Corinne Baita (Rochester, N.H.) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs (six earned) off eight hits and five walks with five K's over seven frames.
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 16-4 in the history of the series with Norwich University, a team the Monks have now defeated in five-consecutive meetings.
Saint Joseph's is off until Monday when the Monks play host to GNAC-rival Lasell College in a doubleheader set to begin at 3:00 PM. Norwich hosts Emmanuel College on Wednesday in a conference twinbill slated to start at 3:00 PM.
#GOMONKS
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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 474-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.
