STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (15-11, 10-4 GNAC) swept University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (20-6, 10-2 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball action at Richard W. Bailey Field on Sunday afternoon. The Monks tipped the Blue Jays, 1-0, in the opener, and finished the sweep with a 4-0 nightcap triumph.

THE LEAD

The Monks effectively ended the Blue Jays' program-record 15-game winning streak with a 1-0 opening victory, as senior Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) plated pinch runner Shannon Laubauskas (Mexico, Maine) with a single with two out in the bottom of the fourth to account for the game's only scoring. In the closing contest, Saint Joseph's grabbed an early lead when junior Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) roped a two-run double with two out in the bottom of the first.

The Monks' pitchers, junior starter Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) and freshman Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine), were outstanding in the sweep, as the former fanned two and scattered four hits over seven frames in the first game and the latter struck out three and gave up three hits in a complete-game effort in the second contest.

SAINT JOSEPH'S 1, UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH 0

SJC HIGHLIGHTS

• Freshman right fielder Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine) was 1-3 with a double
• Murphy went 1-3 with a two-bagger
• Junior center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) added a hit and a walk in three plate appearances
• Pollini was 1-3 with the game-winning RBI

USJ HIGHLIGHTS

• Freshman third baseman Kara Klimaszewski (Naugatuck, Conn.) was 1-3 with a double
• Freshman second baseman Isabella Russo (Southington, Conn.) went 1-2 with a single

PITCHERS OF RECORD

• McFadden improves to 9-5 on the season after posting a dominant performance in which just one runner reached second base for the entirety of the contest
• USJ senior Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) suffered her first loss of the season and falls to 12-1 after allowing one run off five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over six innings

KEY PLAYS

• Senior catcher Mary Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) led off the second with a single to right-center, but was cancelled on the basepaths when turned a 4-3 double play when the following batter, Klimaszewski, hit a ground ball to second
• The Blue Jays threatened with two out in the top of the seventh when Klimaszewski doubled to deep right field, but McFadden induced a pop out to short off the bat of junior designated hitter Ashley Tucker (Middletown, Conn.) to close out the victory

GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 4, UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH 0

SJC HIGHLIGHTS

• Freshman shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.) went 2-4 with two runs and a stolen base
• Smith was 2-3 with a double and an RBI
• Murphy doubled in a pair of runs
• Junior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) went 1-3 with a run, a double, and an RBI

USJ HIGHLIGHTS

• Patti Sciglimpaglia was 1-3 with a double
• Klimaszewski and senior Emily Vigue (Lebanon, Conn.) added singles in the loss

PITCHERS OF RECORD

• Smith nearly matched McFadden's effort with three hits allowed and three K's in seven innings to improve to 6-4 on the spring – just two USJ runners reached second base in the closing contest
• USJ junior Danielle Circosta (Feeding Hills, Mass.) fell to 8-3 on the season after allowing three runs off five hits and four walks with one punch-out over three innings
• In relief for USJ, Vigue yielded one run off three hits and a free pass over three frames

KEY PLAYS

• In the bottom of the first, Murphy registered a two-run double – scoring Harrison and Elliott – to left with two out
• The Monks tacked on another run when sophomore pinch runner Emilie Duggan (Newfield, Maine) scored on a Smith base hit to left, but left the bases loaded as Circosta fanned sophomore Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine) to cease the threat
• Saint Joseph's capped the game scoring with a run in the bottom of the fourth when Harrison plated Elliott – who reached on a fielder's choice and swiped second – with a two-base hit to deep center

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the victories, Saint Joseph's improves to 13-6 in the history of the series with University of Saint Joseph, a team that swept the Monks (4-2, 5-1) in West Haven last spring. Today's results marks the first sweep suffered by the Blue Jays this season.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's is back in action Tuesday when the Monks host Bowdoin College in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 5:00 PM.University of Saint Joseph plays a pair of GNAC games at Rivier University on Wednesday with the opener starting at 6:00 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.