NEWTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (18-14, 14-4 GNAC) won both ends of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader with Mount Ida College (13-20, 7-13 GNAC) on Friday afternoon. The Monks defeated the Mustangs by a 5-0 score in the opener and finished off the sweep with a 3-2 triumph.
With the sweep, the Monks extend their winning streak to seven games and currently sit in second place in the GNAC standings.
GAME ONE – SAINT JOSEPH'S 5, MOUNT IDA 0
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first and tacked on two in the sixth and one in the seventh en route to the shutout victory. In the first, senior center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) led off with a double and later scored on a throwing error and freshman second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Saco, Maine) reached with a walk and eventually scored on a single off the bat of sophomore shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.)
In the sixth, senior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) plated Elliott with a base hit and scored when the following batter, sophomore Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) singled up the middle.
The Monks capped the game scoring in the seventh when Tripp walked after a 15-pitch at-bat and came around to score on an Elliott two-bagger.
IN THE CIRCLE:
SJC senior starter Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) was again brilliant, tossing seven shutout innings while allowing five hits with three strikeouts to improve to 9-5 on the year.
Mount Ida senior starter Nicole Handzel (Palmer, Mass.) suffered the loss and falls to 11-9 after yielding five runs off eight hits and three walks with a pair of punch-outs over seven frames.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Elliott went 3-3 with a run, a double, and two RBI
- Tripp was 2-3 with two runs and a double
OFF THE BAT – MOUNT IDA:
- Junior shortstop Hayley Microulis (Pawtucket, R.I.) was 2-3
GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, MOUNT IDA 2
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Joe's assembled a 3-0 lead with single runs in the second, third, and fifth before Mount Ida rallied with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Mustangs had runners on first and second with one out, but the Monks escaped further damage when sophomore third baseman Jenni Jackson (Marlborough, Mass.) grounded into an inning-ending double play.
In the second, Smith delivered sophomore first baseman Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine) with an RBI single. Sophomore right fielder Katie Chadbourne (Jaffrey, N.H.) scored on a wild pitch in the third and freshman Kaylee Burns (Saco, Maine) crossed the plate on a first-and-third double-steal play in the fifth to account for the Monks' three runs.
IN THE CIRCLE:
Smith took the ball for the Monks and improved to 7-5 after allowing two runs off six hits with three walks and five K's in 5.1 innings while freshman Caitlyn King (Old Town, Maine) earned her first collegiate save after tossing 1.2 frames of one-hit relief.
Mount Ida senior hurler Kaitlyn Muhlenforth (Bohemia, N.Y.) suffered the setback and falls to 1-6 on the year after yielding three runs (two earned) off six hits and a walk with a pair of punch-outs in a complete-game effort.
OFF THE BAT – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Tripp was the Monks' lone repeat-hitter after going 2-4 with two singles
- King was 1-1 with a double
- Smith went 1-2 with an RBI
OFF THE BAT – MOUNT IDA:
- Microulis went 2-4 with a run scored
- Senior center fielder Michele MacDonald (North Dighton, Mass.) was 2-4 with a run
- Freshman left fielder Alisa Benson (Middletown, R.I.) went 2-3 with a double and a stolen base
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 21-0 in the history of the series with Mount Ida College.
NEXT!
Both teams host GNAC doubleheaders tomorrow when Saint Joseph's takes on Lasell College and Mount Ida faces off against Simmons College. Both twinbills 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.
