PHOTO CREDIT: Laurel Clace '25
STANDISH, Maine - #1N Saint Joseph's College (20-16) clipped #3S Johnson & Wales University (22-20), 8-7 in eight innings, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Pod A Softball Tournament final at Richard W. Bailey Field on Sunday afternoon.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's advances to the best-of-three GNAC Championship series and will host #3N Simmons University (16-22) with the first game scheduled for Friday, first pitch TBD. The second and third (if necessary) games will be played at Bailey Field on Saturday, times TBD.
Simmons won Pod B with a 5-4 triumph over Lasell University earlier today.
For Johnson & Wales, the loss signals the end of the 2024 campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The thrilling pod final featured 28 total hits and saw several lead changes as the evenly matched teams duked it out for eight frames before senior Lydia Goodnough (Kennebunkport, Maine) ripped a walk-off RBI single up the middle with one out in the eighth inning.
St. Joe's struck first with a run on two hits in the bottom of the opening inning, as junior Mollie Verreault (Scarborough, Maine) posted a leadoff single and crossed the plate on a Chantelle Bouchard (Biddeford, Maine) base hit up the middle.
Johnson & Wales responded with three runs on four hits and an SJC error in the top of the second. With one out, freshman third baseman Jessica Forneiro (Kings Park, N.Y.) tripled to right field and promptly scored on an Amanda Madigan (Holbrook, N.Y.) base hit. Three batters later, junior right fielder Mackenzie Clee (Warminster, Pa.) worked a bases-loaded walk and the following hitter, senior shortstop Julia Huzi (Trumbull, Conn.), notched an RBI single to left to make it a 3-1 game. A heads up play by sophomore shortstop Charlotte Cloutier (Lewiston, Maine) resulted in a line-out double play up the middle, minimizing the damage.
The 3-1 advantage remained until the bottom of the fourth when the hosts knocked in six runs on four hits to secure a 7-3 cushion. With runners on second and third and one out after a perfectly executed sac bunt by junior Paige Connery (Tyngsboro, Mass.), Cloutier came to the plate and tied the game with a two-run single up the middle. Junior Mollie Verreault (Scarborough, Maine) followed with a single and sophomore Hannah Gosselin (Biddeford, Maine) walked to load the bases for Bouchard, who launched a grand slam home run to left center.
The Wildcats managed to tie the game at 7-7 with four runs on six hits in the top of the sixth. With one out, JWU registered four consecutive hits – including doubles from Jadyn Torres (El Paso, Texas) and Clee and singles from Huzi, Hailey Erickson (Calimesa, Calif.) – to cut their deficit to one run with runners on first and third and two out. Sophomore catcher Mady Lyons (Prior Lake, Minn.) knocked in the tying run with a single up the middle, but SJC sophomore center fielder Sadie Tirrell (Naples, Maine) deftly tossed the ball to second base where a JWU runner had overrun the bag and was tagged out to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh Forneiro led off with a single but was later caught stealing second base with nobody out while Madigan struck out for a "strike 'em out, throw 'em out" double play. The Monks had runners on second and third with two out after freshman Kryslin Stearns (Concord, N.H.) rapped a single to right-center, but were unable to convert.
Goodnough, who replaced junior Madison Pelletier (New Gloucester, Mass.) in the circle during the sixth inning, worked around an infield error in the top of the eighth to set the stage for the walk-off victory.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth, junior pinch hitter Abby Carpenter (Bath, Maine) was hit by a pitch and – after Gosselin and Bouchard singled to load the bases – scored the game-winning run on a Goodnough single up the middle.
IN THE CIRCLE:
Goodnough improved to 10-5 on the season after tossing 2.2 innings of three-hit shutout relief while fanning three batters. Pelletier got the start but did not factor into the decision after yielding seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits with two strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
JWU junior starter Katie Scheid (Hightstown, N.J.) suffered the setback and fell to 11-7 after allowing eight runs on 13 hits and five walks with two punch outs in 7.1 innings.
OFF THE BAT:
- Bouchard went 4-for-5 with a run, a double, a home run, and five RBI
- Tirrell was 3-for-3 with a run and a walk
- Verreault added two hits and two runs in five at bats
- Goodnough went 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI, and two walks
- For JWU, Huzi and Forneiro posted three hits apiece while Clee, Lyons, and Floyd posted two hits each
TOURNEY STANDOUTS:
- Bouchard was 7-for-12 with two runs, a double, a home run, and eight RBI
- Tirrell went 8-for-9 with three runs, two doubles, and four RBI
- Foley added seven hits, two runs, and five RBI in 13 at bats
- Goodnough saw action in the circle in all three tourney tilts and allowed three earned runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts in 10.2 innings while picking up a pair of victories
