STANDISH, Maine – University of New England (11-3) won both ends of a non-conference softball doubleheader versus Saint Joseph's College (5-7) at Richard W. Bailey Field on Thursday night. The Nor'easters opened with a 2-0 victory and completed the sweep with an 11-7 triumph in eight innings to extend their winning streak to eight games.
GAME 1 – UNE 2, SJC 0
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Nor'easters scored the game's only runs on one swing, as freshman left fielder Andrea Gosper (Richmond, R.I.) launched a two-run homer well beyond the left-field fence with one out in the top of the fourth.
The Monks produced just three hits and only six baserunners overall – with just one advancing past first base – in the shutout setback.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
For St. Joe's, freshman Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) suffered her first collegiate loss and falls to 3-1 after allowing two runs off five hits and a walk with five strikeouts in a complete-game performance.
UNE employed a Charlie whole-staff approach, with freshman Sophia Burnham (Scarborough, Maine) getting the start and allowing a hit and two walks over three frames before giving way to first-year Sydnee Bessler (Everett, Mass.), who picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Rookie reliever Melissa Sprague (Londonderry, N.H.) gave up two hits and a walk with one punch-out over two innings en route to earning her first NCAA save.
HIGHLIGHTS – SJC
- Smith, senior Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine), and sophomore Shannon Laubauskas (Mexico, Maine) recorded singles in the loss
- Freshman right fielder Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine) worked a pair of walks
HIGHLIGHTS – UNE
- The Nor'easters did not feature a repeat hitter as Gosper, Caroline Schoenbucher (Barrington, N.H.), Amanda Vallante (Dracut, Mass.), Abby Lambert (Brockton, Mass.), and Kelly Murphy (Cromwell, Conn.) tallied a hit apiece in the victory
GAME TWO – UNE 11, SJC 7 (8 INN.)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the in-state rivals combined for only eight hits in the opener, the familiar foes brought the bats in the nightcap with 26 total knocks in a contest featuring five lead changes.
Saint Joseph's seemed to be in line for the split after claiming a 7-6 lead with two runs off two hits and a pair of UNE miscues in the bottom of the sixth. The Nor'easters had different plans and ultimately forced extra innings by scoring the tying run without posting a hit in the top of the seventh. Lambert led off the frame as a pinch hitter, walked, and was removed in favor of freshman pinch runner Avery Alberghini (Middlesex, Vt.), who stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a Gasper foul ball fly out to right field.
The Monks failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh and the wheels fell off in the top of the eighth, when the Nor'easters scored four runs off three hits and two errors on the way to securing an 11-7 cushion. Junior Sydney Helmbrecht (Grand Rapids, Minn.) led off with a single and scored the eventual winning run on a wild pitch while Vallante, Murphy, and Gosper were credited with an RBI apiece.
Saint Joseph's showed some fight in the bottom of the eighth and had the bases loaded with two out, but Sprague – who entered the game in the seventh – induced a lazy fly to center to close out the contest.
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Freshman pitcher Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) suffered the loss in her collegiate debut after yielding five runs (one earned) off four hits and two walks with three punch-outs over three relief innings. Senior Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) earned the start but did not factor into the decision after allowing six runs off 10 hits with four K's in five frames.
For the second-consecutive game the Nor'easters utilized three different pitchers, with Lambert getting the start and giving up three runs off seven hits in three innings. Junior Katelyn Austin (Bethlehem, N.H.) allowed four unearned runs off four hits and three walks in three innings and Sprague collected her first collegiate win after tossing two innings of scoreless relief.
HIGHLIGHTS – SJC
- Senior outfielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) went 3-5 with a run scored
- Bailey went 2-4 with two runs and a pair of doubles
- Freshman shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.) was 2-3 with a run, a double, a triple, and two RBI
- Junior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) added a run and two hits in four at-bats
- Freshman second baseman Katie Chadbourne (Jaffrey, N.H.) went 2-5 with two runs, a double, and a stolen base
HIGHLIGHTS – UNE
- Schoenbucher was 3-5 with two runs, a stolen base, and an RBI
- Vallante went 3-5 with a run, a steal, and a pair of RBI
- Murphy added two hits, a double, and two RBI in four at-bats
- Helmbrecht went 2-4 with two runs and a stolen base
- Gosper was 1-5 with three RBI
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the losses, Saint Joseph's falls to 39-14 in the history of the series with University of New England, a team the Monks did not face last spring due to inclement weather. Today's sweep is the Nor'easters' first over the Monks since the 2006 campaign.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's kicks off conference play with a home doubleheader versus Albertus Magnus College at 12:00 PM on Saturday. University of New England plays at Roger Williams University on Saturday in a conference twinbill slated to begin at 12:00 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 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.
