PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Saint Joseph's College (12-14, 8-4 GNAC) and Johnson & Wales University (25-7, 17-1 GNAC) split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader at Scott's Miracle-Gro Complex on Saturday afternoon.
GAME ONE – JOHNSON & WALES 8, SAINT JOSEPH'S 2
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After sitting on the bus for several hours during a rain delay, the Monks jumped out to an early lead with two runs off two hits and a JWU error in the top of the first. With one out, sophomore shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.) doubled home freshman second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Saco, Maine) and scored two batters later when senior catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) singled to center.
The lead held true until the second when the Wildcats scored a run off two hits. The hosts tied the game when Brenna DuPerry scored on a wild pitch with two out in the bottom of the third.
The Monks squandered an excellent scoring opportunity when leaving the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, but the Wildcats took advantage of a similar spot in the fifth, when they scored twice on three hits to secure a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Johnson & Wales proceeded to put the game out of reach with three runs off three knocks and an SJC miscue in the bottom of the sixth.
IN THE CIRCLE:
SJC sophomore starter Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) took the loss after allowing eight runs (five earned) off nine hits and two walks with nine strikeouts over six innings. She falls to 4-5 on the year with the setback.
JWU starter Jennifer Corona improves to 14-2 on the season after allowing a pair of unearned runs off nine hits and a walk with four K's in a complete-game effort.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Murphy went 3-3 with an RBI
- Elliott's double was the Monks' only extra-base hit in the opener
OFF THE BAT – JOHNSON & WALES:
- DuPerry, the Wildcats' lone repeat-hitter, was 2-4 with three runs, a double, a stolen base, and an RBI
GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, JOHNSON & WALES 1
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks kicked off the scoring in the nightcap as well, as senior left fielder Casidee Couture (Jay, Maine) doubled home classmate Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine), who also doubled, with two out in the top of the second.
The Wildcats answered with a run off two hits in the third, when Julia Saliba scored on a Meghan Gavin groundout with the bases loaded.
The 1-1 deadlock remained until the top of the fifth, when Elliott delivered a pair of runs with a double to deep left-center, scoring Couture and senior center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine), to make it a 3-1 game.
Johnson & Wales threatened in the bottom of the fifth and had runners on second and third with nobody out, but SJC senior pitcher Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) settled in for three quick outs and retired nine-consecutive batters to close out the contest.
IN THE CIRCLE:
McFadden ups her record to 5-4 after allowing one run off seven hits and two walks with a pair of punch-outs in a complete-game victory.
JWU starter Noelle Weiss took the loss and falls to 4-3 after yielding three runs on five hits and two walks with two K's in five frames. Reliever Kristin Frost tossed two innings, giving up a hit and two free passes with two strikeouts.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Pomerleau was 2-3
- Elliott doubled and drove in a pair
- Harrison and Couture registered doubles
OFF THE BAT – JOHNSON & WALES:
- For the second-consecutive game, DuPerry was the hosts' lone repeat-hitter having gone 2-4 with a double in the losing effort
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the split, Saint Joseph's is now 17-6 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University. The Monks and Wildcats have split doubleheaders in three-consecutive regular-season meetings.
NEXT:
Both teams resume play facing conference foes tomorrow, when Saint Joseph's plays at Norwich University and Johnson & Wales hosts Emmanuel College. Both doubleheaders are slated to begin at 12:00 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.
