STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (15-5, 7-3 GNAC) and Simmons College (10-9, 7-3 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader at Richard W. Bailey Field on Tuesday evening. The Sharks captured a 5-1 victory in the opener and the Monks salvaged the split with a 2-0 nightcap triumph.
GAME ONE
The first game, and rematch of the 2014 GNAC Championship, began as a pitcher's duel, as Saint Joseph's senior Laura Jordan (Orrington, Maine) and Simmons senior Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) locked heads for three scoreless frames before the Sharks plated a pair off three hits and an SJC error in the top of the fourth, claiming a lead they would not relinquish in the process.
Senior Hannah Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) and junior Mikaela Caracciolo (North Attleboro, Mass.) opened the fourth with consecutive singles and the former scored on an infield error and the latter sprinted home on a Backhaus double, lifting the visitors to a 2-0 edge through three and a half innings.
The Sharks tacked on three insurance runs off four hits and a St. Joe's error in their next turn at the bat. Freshman first baseman Juliet Nelson (Cumberland, R.I.) led off with a double and senior left fielder Jen Field (Windham, Maine/McAuley) roped a two-bagger to left to put runners on second and third for Cunningham, who followed with the visitors' third double of the inning, plating both runners, and later scored on a two-out single off the bat of Backhaus.
Saint Joseph's finally found the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, scoring a run off three hits, as sophomore catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) worked a one-out walk and was lifted for pinch runner Emilie Duggan (Newfield, Maine), who eventually scored on a Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine) double to deep center, accounting for the 5-1 final.
For the Monks, Mayhew was 2-3 and senior third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) went 2-4 with a double. Laura Jordan falls to 2-2 after giving up five runs (four earned) off nine hits and a walk with three K's in seven innings.
For the Sharks, Cunningham went 3-4 with two runs, a double and two RBI, Backhaus was 2-4 with a two-bagger and a pair of RBI, and Nelson added a run and a pair of hits, including a double, in three at bats. Backhaus improves to 7-2 in the circle after yielding one run off eight hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
GAME TWO
With the help of an outstanding effort from junior starting pitcher Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.), the Monks managed to salvage a split with the Sharks. Boulanger posted perhaps her finest collegiate outing, fanning five while scattering six hits – all singles – in a complete game shutout performance.
As it played out, Saint Joseph's produced the only scoring required in the third, when the hosts pushed across a run off three hits. With one out, senior right fielder Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I.) singled up the middle and raced home three batters later when Mayhew lobbed a single to right.
The Monks doubled their lead in the fourth when junior left fielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) singled, stole second and scored on a Shannon Laubauskas (Mexico, Maine) double to center.
The Sharks threatened with two out in the top of the seventh, as Field and Cunningham produced back-to-back singles, but Boulanger brought an end to the potential rally by fanning Caracciolo to end the game.
Pollini led the Monks' offensively by going 2-3 with a run and a stolen base and Mayhew was 2-3 with an RBI in the victory. Boulanger improved to 4-0 with the shutout performance.
Nelson took the loss in the circle for Simmons after allowing two runs off eight hits while striking out three in six innings.
With the split, Saint Joseph's is now 18-4 all-time versus Simmons College. Prior to the opening loss, the Monks had defeated the Sharks in six-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2012 season.
Saint Joseph's will host GNAC-rival Rivier University in a doubleheader set to start at 3:00 PM on Thursday. Simmons hosts Lasell College on Friday in a conference twinbill slated to begin 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.
