STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (11-13, 7-3 GNAC) swept a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader with Simmons College (9-20, 4-10 GNAC) at Richard W. Bailey Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Monks opened with a come-from-behind 5-2 victory and completed the sweep with a 9-3 triumph.
GAME ONE – SAINT JOSEPH'S 5, SIMMONS 2
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Simmons built an early lead with single runs in the second and third innings, as freshman center fielder Molly Hennessey (Charlton, Mass.) tripled in classmate Alex Soqui (Acushnet, Mass.) in the former and first-year shortstop Ashley Lynch (Shrewsbury, Mass.) plated senior third baseman Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) in the latter to stake the Sharks to a 2-0 cushion after three frames.
The 2-0 deficit remained until the fifth, when sophomore shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.) drove in senior center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) with a single to left.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Monks' bats came to life with the help of a porous Simmons defense, as the hosts sent home four runs off three hits and four Sharks errors to take a 5-2 lead. Sophomore pitcher Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine), junior pinch hitter Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine), and freshman second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Saco, Maine) knocked in a run apiece in the four-run sixth.
IN THE CIRCLE:
Smith improves to 4-4 on the season after allowing two runs off seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
Soqui falls to 1-4 after giving up five unearned runs off five hits and four walks over six innings.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Tripp was 1-3 with two runs and a stolen base
- Senior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) went 1-3 with a run and a double
OFF THE BAT – SIMMONS:
- Soqui went 2-3 with a run and a double
- Rastello doubled and Hennessey tripled in the setback
GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 9, SIMMONS 3
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Despite the cold and damp conditions, the Monks came out firing in the nightcap, scoring two runs off two hits and an error in the first and three runs off two hits in the second. In the first, sophomore Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine) and senior catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) knocked in a run apiece and Elliott notched a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch in the second.
Saint Joseph's put the game out of reach with four runs off four hits in the sixth, an offensive effort punctuated by a two-run triple from Harrison.
IN THE CIRCLE:
SJC senior starter Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) improves to 5-5 on the year after allowing three runs (one earned) off five hits and six walks with one strikeout in a complete-game performance.
Simmons starter Tori Gomes (Taunton, Mass.) falls to 2-10 after yielding five runs off four hits and three walks with one punch-out in 1.2 innings before giving way to Bridget Garach (West Hartford, Conn.), who allowed four runs off six hits and a pair of walks with two K's in 4.1 frames.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Pomerleau was 3-4 with two runs
- Elliott went 1-3 with two runs, a triple, and three RBI
- Tripp added two hits and three runs in three at-bats
- Harrison tripled and knocked in a pair and stole a base
OFF THE BAT – SIMMONS:
- Rastello, Hennessey, and senior catcher Alison Gauvin (Whitefield, Maine) registered an RBI apiece in the losing effort
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victories, Saint Joseph's improves to 21-5 in the history of the series with Simmons College. Today's two-game swing is the Monks' first sweep over the Sharks since the 2014 campaign.
NEXT!
Both teams are back in action with conference doubleheaders on Saturday, when Saint Joseph's travels to Johnson & Wales University (12:30 PM) and Simmons hosts Albertus Magnus College (2:00 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.
