BOSTON, Mass. – #3N Saint Joseph's College (13-23) suffered a season-ending 5-3 loss at the hands of #1S Simmons University (21-22) in an elimination game of the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Tournament at Daly Field on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Simmons grabbed a 2-0 lead out of the gates with three hits in the top of the first and Saint Joseph's responded with a run in the bottom of the frame when junior second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) singled and scored on a groundout off the bat of senior first baseman Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine).
The Sharks added three runs off four hits in the top of the third, but the damage could have been more severe, as junior Caitlyn King (Old Town, Maine) struck out Lauren Del Vacchio (Murrieta, Calif.) with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Freshman Camryn LaPierre (Westbrook, Maine) and Bailey registered run-scoring singles in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Simmons lead to 5-3, but the Monks were unable to mount another offensive threat in their final two turns at the bat.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- SJC starter Kate Whitney falls to 7-11 on the season after yielding five runs on six hits and three walks over 2.1 innings
- King tossed 4.2 shutout innings with two K's and four hits allowed
- Simmons freshman starter Maddie Castigliego (Bristol, R.I.) improves to 13-6 after giving up three runs (two earned) off six hits with a pair of strikeouts in 4.2 innings
- Sophomore Hailey Yabroudy (Amherst, N.H.) picked up her first save of the season after allowing two hits and a walk with two K's in 2.1 innings
OFF THE BAT:
- Junior left fielder Madisyn Charest (Sidney, Maine) went 3-3 with a run scored
- Junior third baseman Kaylee Burns (Saco, Maine) was 1-3 with a double
- Bailey was 1-4 with a pair of RBI
- For Simmons, Ivy Vann (Bend, Ore.) was 2-3 with a walk and freshman Alex Morang (Windham, Maine) went 2-3 with an RBI
SENIOR MOMENT:
The loss brings to a close the collegiate softball careers for the Monks' four seniors: Bailey, Meghan Elliott (Mendon, Mass.), Katie Chadbourne (Jaffrey, N.H.), and Danielle Pinkham (Damariscotta, Maine). This group of four-year program members helped Saint Joseph's reach the playoffs in each of their four seasons.