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PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID FIELD

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STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (4-8) swept a non-conference softball doubleheader with University of Southern Maine (6-8) at Richard W. Bailey Field on Thursday afternoon. The Monks opened with a 4-1 win and completed the sweep with a 5-3 nightcap victory.

GAME ONE – Saint Joseph's 4, Southern Maine 1:

The Monks gained a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, when sophomore third baseman Kaylee Burns (Saco, Maine) singled and later scored on a two-out single off the bat of junior right fielder Katie Chadbourne (Jaffrey, N.H.).

The Huskies tied the game in the top of the fourth, when junior Brooke Cross (Saco, Maine) led off with a single and later scored on a wild pitch.

Chadbourne was in the middle of a two-run fourth inning for the Monks, as she singled home sophomore Maizie Lee (Saco, Maine) and eventually scored on a USM throwing error, lifting the hosts to a 3-1 advantage.

Saint Joseph's tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, when sophomore second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) plated senior center fielder Casidee Couture (Jay, Maine) with a two-out single to left field.

IN THE CIRCLE:

• Saint Joseph's sophomore Kate Whitney (Jonesboro, Maine) tossed a gem, allowing one run off five hits with a pair of strikeouts over seven strong to improve to 3-2 on the season
• USM senior Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine) suffered the loss after yielding three runs (two earned) off six hits and a walk with three K's in five innings.
• Sophomore Rebecca Ackerson (Whitefield, Maine) allowed a run off two hits with a pair of punch-outs in two innings of relief for the Huskies

OFF THE BAT:

• Chadbourne was 2-2 with a run, a sac bunt, and two RBI
• Junior shortstop Meghan Elliott (Mendon, Mass.) went 2-3
• Pomerleau added two hits, a stolen base, and an RBI in four at bats

GAME TWO – Saint Joseph's 5, Southern Maine 3:

Southern Maine struck first in the closing contest, as sophomore Erin Martin (Biddeford, Maine) led off with a single and later scored on a base hit by freshman Hannah Kenney (Oxford, Maine) in the top of the first.

St. Joe's answered with three runs in the bottom of the first frame, when Elliott produced an RBI single and scored, along with freshman center fielder Madeline Wood (Madison, Maine), on a triple off the bat of junior first baseman Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine).

The Monks added two runs off two hits in the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore left fielder Madisyn Charest (Sidney, Maine) knocked in a run with a groundout to second and freshman catcher Makayla Cooper (Fryeburg, Maine) doubled and scored on a Pomerleau base hit.

The Huskies tried to fight their way back into the game with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, senior Taylor Lux (Arundel, Maine) scored on a groundout to second off the bat of Lauren Gasaway (Old Town, Maine) and Martin belted a solo home run in the seventh to account for the 5-3 final.

IN THE CIRCLE:

• SJC junior starter Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) picked up the win after allowing a run off eight hits and a pair of walks over five innings
• Sophomore Caitlyn King (Old Town, Maine) gave up two runs off two hits and a walk in two innings of relief
• USM starter Alexis Brown (Malden, Mass.) took the loss after allowing five runs off six hits and three free passes with three K's in 3.2 innings
• Sophomore Madison Greene (Moultonborough, N.H.) tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit and fanning one

OFF THE BAT:

• Elliott was 2-3 with a run and an RBI
• Bailey tripled and drove in a pair
• Pomerleau was 1-3 with a run, an RBI, and a stolen base
• For USM, Lux was 2-3 with a run, a double, and a triple
• Martin was 3-3 with two runs, a homer, and an RBI in the Huskies' loss

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the sweep, Saint Joseph's is now 33-20 against Southern Maine since the start of the 1990 season.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's opens Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a doubleheader at home versus Johnson & Wales University at 1:00 PM on Saturday.

#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.