STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (17-16, 11-5 GNAC) won a pair of games versus Lasell University (14-22, 6-12 GNAC) at Richard W. Bailey Field on Saturday afternoon. The Monks opened with a 7-0 triumph and capped the sweep with a 9-5 victory.
Saint Joseph's has earned the #3 seed in the GNAC North Division and will host #4 Rivier University in a single-elimination play-in tournament game on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.
SENIOR MOMENT:
Prior to the start of the first game the Monks held a brief ceremony to honor the program's four seniors: Ashley Emery (Madison, Maine), Emily Jefferds (Scarborough, Maine), Bailey Rassol (Rehoboth, Mass.), and Haley Tighe (Worcester, Mass.). The 2022 class was joined by their parents and various family members on the field and posed for photos with the SJC coaching staff.
GAME ONE:
Saint Joseph's came out swinging with 14 hits in the opener as senior Ashley Emery (Madison, Maine) knocked in the first run of the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the second. The Monks claimed a 3-0 advantage after scoring twice on four hits in the third, when sophomore Taylor Owen (Wakefield, Mass.) doubled home senior Bailey Rassol (Rehoboth, Mass.) and later scored on an Emily Jefferds (Scarborough, Maine) single to right field.
The hosts put the game well out of reach with four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth when Rassol posted an RBI double and later scored on a Sylvia Foley (Scarborough, Maine) single. Sophomore center fielder Lydia Goodnough (Kennebunkport, Maine) closed out the game-scoring with a two-run homer to left field.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- Junior starter Meredith Pence (Remington, Va.) had perhaps the finest outing of her collegiate career with a personal-best 13 strikeouts and just five hits allowed in a complete-game shutout performance
- Lasell starter Meghan Theall falls to 8-14 on the season after allowing seven runs on 14 hits over six innings
OFF THE BAT:
- Emery was 3-for-4 with a run, a stolen base, and an RBI
- Rassol went 2-for-4 with two runs, a double, and an RBI
- Owen added two hits, a run, a double, and an RBI in three at-bats
- Foley was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI
- For Lasell, Theall was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles
GAME TWO:
The closing contest featured a completely different tempo as the Lasers jumped out to an early lead when sophomore Eryn Sheeley (North Haven, Conn.) launched a three-run homer over the left field wall with two out in the top of the first.
The teams traded runs on their subsequent turns at the bat, with junior Emily Howe (Arundel, Maine) getting the hosts on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the first and senior Brianna Gendreau (Warren, R.I.) giving the visitors a 4-1 advantage with a run-scoring single in the top of the second.
The Monks managed to tie the game with three runs on four hits and a Laser error in the bottom of the second. Emery knocked in freshman shortstop Rylee Page (Somersworth, N.H.) with a base hit and Howe sent home a pair with a single to right field, tying the game at 4-4.
The Lasers regained the lead in the third when freshman Samara Turgeon (Dartmouth, Mass.) delivered an RBI single with two out, but the Monks secured the lead for good in the bottom of the inning, when Page notched an RBI double and later scored on a single off the bat of junior Amaya Dacier (Warwick, R.I.).
Saint Joseph's tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth when Foley and Page posted run-scoring singles to make it an 8-5 game. St. Joe's capped the scoring in the sixth when Page drove home her third run of the game with a base hit to right field.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- SJC junior starter Sydney Hatch (Newburgh, Maine) picked up the win and is now 4-7 on the season after yielding five runs on eight hits and five walks over four innings; junior Emily Eagleston (Reading, Mass.) notched her first save of the season after fanning a pair over three hitless innings
- Lasell sophomore starter Katie Hopkins (Garden City Park, N.Y.) suffers the loss and is now 0-3 on the season after allowing eight runs (four earned) on 10 hits through 3.1 innings; Theall yielded one run on five hits with two K's in 2.2 innings of relief
OFF THE BAT:
- Page went 4-for-4 with two runs, a double and three RBI
- Dacier was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI
- Emery went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI
- Howe was 2-for-4 with three RBI
- For Lasell, Sheeley was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer while Gendreau went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI and Ally Kirck (Hamden, Conn.) added two hits and a run in three at-bats
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the sweep, Saint Joseph's improves to 24-4 in the history of the series with Lasell University and has now defeated the Lasers in 23-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2008 season.
Senior Day 2022
