STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (10-10) suffered a pair of one-run losses at the hands of Husson University (10-10) in a non-conference softball doubleheader at Richard W. Bailey Field on Tuesday evening. The Eagles kicked off the evening with a 1-0 triumph and completed the sweep with a 5-4 victory in nine innings.
HUSSON 1, SAINT JOSEPH'S 0:
SJC senior Emily Eagleston (Reading, Mass.) and Husson senior McKenna Smith (Old Town, Maine) locked heads in a traditional pitchers' duel, as the righthanders tossed five scoreless innings apiece before the Eagles plated the opener's lone run with two out in the top of the sixth.
After sitting down the Eagles' #3 and #4 hitters in the sixth, Eagleston gave up an infield single to sophomore Kiara McLeod (Harrison, Maine), who scored all the way from first when sophomore Bulla McCabe (Kailua, Hawaii) lined a double to the left field fence.
Smith scattered five singles with no walks and five strikeouts during seven shutout innings to improve to 6-4 on the season. With her in control, the Monks failed to advance a runner past second base in the opener.
Eagleston was also brilliant, as the senior captain nearly matched the Eagles' ace pitch for pitch having allowed one run off seven hits with five strikeouts in the hard-fought setback.
For the Monks, senior first baseman Olivia Howe (Arundel, Maine) went 2-3 with a pair of singles. For the Eagles, junior shortstop Kenzie Dore (Holden, Maine) and McCabe both went 2-3.
HUSSON 5, SAINT JOSEPH'S 4 (9 INN.):
Both teams scored a run in the first inning, when Dore registered a sac fly to send Raymond for the Eagles and Howe plated junior Lydia Goodnough (Kennebunkport, Maine) with a groundout to short.
In the top of the third, Husson senior Katie Raymond (Rochester, N.H.) singled and later sprinted home on a two-out single off the bat of sophomore Tori Exel (North Berwick, Maine). Howe lifted the hosts to a 3-2 lead with a bases-loaded single, which sent Taylor Owen (Wakefield, Mass.) and Katie Bent (Andover, N.H.) across the plate in the bottom of the frame.
In the top of the fourth, Husson senior Teagan Blackie (Old Town, Maine) belted an RBI triple, scoring freshman Megan Curtis (New Gloucester, Maine), to tie the game at 3-3.
The stalemate stood until the top of the ninth, when Blackie produced the game-winning run with an infield groundout. For good measure, Curtis managed to score on a passed ball to give the visitors a 5-3 lead.
SJC freshman Charlotte Cloutier (Lewiston, Maine) knocked in classmate Hannah Gosselin (Biddeford, Maine) with a groundout to third base in the bottom of the ninth to account for the 5-4 final.
St. Joe's senior starter Sydney Hatch (Newburgh, Maine) gave up three runs on nine hits with one strikeout in seven innings before giving way to sophomore Paige Connery (Tyngsboro, Mass.), who took the loss after yielding a pair of unearned runs off two hits over two innings of work.
Husson first-year starter Danielle Masterson (Hampden, Maine) did not factor into the decision after allowing three runs on two hits and two walks with one punchout over four frames. Smith picked up the victory after fanning eight batters during five dominant innings in relief.
For the Monks, Howe was 1-3 with three RBI and Goodnough was 1-4 with a run and a stolen base.
For the Eagles, Raymond went 3-5 with a pair of runs while Exel, Curtis, Blackie, and Jess Pomerleau (Greenville, Maine) rapped two hits apiece in the nightcap.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Lasell University on Saturday in a GNAC doubleheader set to begin at 12:00 PM.
