STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (15-16, 11-8 GNAC) defeated Mount Ida College (14-22, 8-13 GNAC), 5-4, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball contest at Richard W. Bailey Field on Friday afternoon. Scheduled to be a doubleheader, the Monks held a 1-0 lead before the nightcap was suspended due to rain after two innings of play. The suspended game will resume from where it was halted at some point this weekend.
GAME ONE: SAINT JOSEPH'S 5, MOUNT IDA 4:
Trailing 4-1 with one out in the bottom of the seventh, the Monks managed to plate four runs off two hits and a pair of Mound Ida errors to earn the walk-off victory. Sophomore second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) singled and later scored on a base hit off the bat of junior right fielder Katie Chadbourne (Jaffrey, N.H.), who proceeded to score the Monks' third run of the game when Bailey reached on an infield throwing error. With the bases loaded and one out, Mount Ida freshman hurler Madeleine Smith (San Diego, Calif.) uncorked a wild pitch, allowing junior shortstop Meghan Elliott (Mendon, Mass.) to score the tying run, and Bailey scored the winning run when the throw to the plate – in an attempt to nail Elliott at the plate – sailed beyond Smith's reach.
In the first inning, SJC junior starter Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) quickly notched the first two outs but wound up in trouble, as freshman catcher Jill Skalski (Cranford, N.J.) and senior shortstop Hayley Microulis (Pawtucket, R.I.) roped back-to-back doubles and Microulis and freshman Savannah Neilan (Somerset, Mass.) both came around to score on a Kelsey Weston (Hampstead, N.H.) two-bagger.
The Mustangs extended their lead to 4-0 with a run off two hits with two out in the bottom of the second, when sophomore Alisa Benson (Middletown, R.I.) reached on an infield single and later scored when Skalski belted her second double of the afternoon.
Held hitless through the first three innings, the Monks finally got on the board in the fourth when Elliott reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine) single. Katie Chadbourne broke up the no-hit bid with a lead-off infield single in the fourth.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- SJC sophomore Caitlyn King (Old Town, Maine) earned the win and improves to 2-3 on the season after allowing one hit in an inning of relief
- Smith yielded four runs off nine hits and two walks with three strikeout ts over six innings
- Mount Ida freshman Carrigan Costello (Wolcott, Conn.) tossed five solid innings but did not factor into the decision after allowing a run off four hits with a pair of punch-outs
- Smith took the loss and falls to 6-11 after giving up four unearned runs off four hits and three walks in 1.1 innings of relief
OFF THE BAT:
- Chadbourne was 2-4 with a run and an RBI
- Bailey went 2-4 with a run, a stolen base, and an RBI
- Sophomore third baseman Kaylee Burns (Saco, Maine) was 1-1 with an RBI and three walks
- For Mount Ida, Skalski and Microulis both went 3-4 with a run and an RBI and Benson added two hits and a run in three at-bats
GAME TWO – SAINT JOSEPH'S 1, MOUNT IDA 0 (suspended after two innings):
Pomerleau singlehandedly lifted the Monks to an early 1-0 lead, as the second-year standout led off with a double and later stole home in the first inning.
After two full frames, the game was suspended due to heavy rain.
When the game was halted, SJC sophomore starting pitcher Kate Whitney (Jonesboro, Maine) had tossed two hitless innings with one strikeout. Smith, the Mustangs' starter, allowed a run off two hits and two walks with one strikeout in two frames.
NEXT!
Both teams host GNAC doubleheaders tomorrow, when Saint Joseph's faces University of Saint Joseph (CT) and Mount Ida takes on Norwich University. Both twinbills are slated to start at 12:00 PM.
