­STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (10-10, 5-3 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader with Norwich University (5-11, 5-1 GNAC) at Richard W. Bailey Field on Sunday afternoon. The Cadets topped the Monks, 6-2, in the opener and the hosts salvaged the split with a 9-4 nightcap triumph.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

GAME ONE – Norwich 6, Saint Joseph's 2

SJC HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) was 2-3 with an RBI
• Senior first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) went 2-3
• Junior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) doubled, scored a run, and knocked in a run

NORWICH HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior center fielder Payton Warner (Harwich, Mass.) went 2-4 with a run, a stolen base, and an RBI
• Senior left fielder Taylor Morris (Haverhill, N.H.) was 2-3 with an RBI
• Sophomore third baseman Sarah Perry (New Bedford, Mass.) added two singles in four at-bats
• Freshman right fielder Mallori Cesario (Bradenton, Fla.) launched a solo home run and scored twice

PITCHERS OF RECORD

• For the Monks, freshman starter Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) fell to 5-3 on the season after allowing six runs (one earned) off eight hits and a walk while fanning three
• Freshman Jennelle Thompson (Farmington, N.H.) allowed one hit in 1.2 innings of scoreless relief
• Norwich freshman hurler Emily Oliver (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) went the distance and improves to 3-3 after yielding two runs of eight hits and two walks with a pair of punch-outs

KEY PLAYS

• The Monks struck first with two runs off three hits in the bottom of the first as Harrison and Murphy delivered runs off a double and single, respectively
• Cesario put her team on the board with a deep fly over the left field wall with one out in the fourth
• The Cadets struck for five runs off two hits and three Saint Joseph's errors in the top of the sixth with Oliver rapping a two-run single, Warner notching an RBI base hit, and Morris lofting a sacrifice fly

GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 9, Norwich 4

SJC HIGHLIGHTS

• Murphy went 2-4 with a double and four RBI
• Junior center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) reached base four times with a single, a hit by pitch, and a pair of walks and scored two runs
• Freshman shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.) was 1-3 with a run and two RBI
• Thompson added a hit, a run, a stolen base, and two sac bunts in four plate appearances

NORWICH HIGHLIGHTS

• Freshman shortstop Naomi Rinaldo (Middlefield, Conn.) was 2-4 with two runs scored
• Morris went 2-3 with an RBI
• Oliver, who played first base in the closing contest, was 2-3 with a run and a double

PITCHERS OF RECORD

• Saint Joseph's senior Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) gave up four runs (three earned) off seven hits and no walks with five K's and improves to 2-3 on the year with the complete game effort.
• Norwich freshman Rachel Johnson (Stockbridge, Vt.) fell to 2-7 after allowing nine runs (two earned) off seven hits and six walks while striking out seven in the losing bid.

KEY PLAYS

• Norwich found the board first with a run off two hits in the opening frame, as Rinaldo singled to center and later scored on a Morris base hit
• The Monks grabbed the lead in their first inning turn with two runs off two hits and a Norwich miscue, as Murphy plated a pair with a two-out single to center
• The Cadets managed to grab tie the game with a run in the fourth, when senior catcher Angie Hershberger (Felton, Calif.) singled and later scored on a passed ball
• Norwich claimed a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth, when Oliver and Rinaldo opened with consecutive singles and later scored on a passed ball and a Perry sac fly, respectively
• In the bottom of the sixth, St. Joe's put up seven runs off four hits and two Norwich errors as Elliott and Murphy knocked in two runs apiece while senior left fielder Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) and sophomore second baseman Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine) registered an RBI apiece in the big inning

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the split, Saint Joseph's is now 17-5 all-time versus Norwich University, a team the Monks had defeated in five consecutive meetings before today's opening setback. The Monks are 9-2 against the Cadets at home.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's returns to the diamond on Wednesday with a pair of GNAC contests at Simmons College (6-9, 0-4 GNAC), with first pitch set for 3:30 PM. Norwich hosts conference-rival Suffolk University (12-4, 3-1 GNAC) on Tuesday with the first game 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.