Colchester, Vt. (April 22) -- The Saint Anselm softball team pounded out 29 hits and 19 runs in a sweep of Saint Michael's on Wednesday afternoon in Northeast-10 play. The Hawks took game one, 5-1, and game two by a 14-2 final in five innings.

The Hawks took a quick lead in the third inning of game one on an RBI double by Brittany Birch (Bradford, Mass.). Birch scored later in the inning on an error by the shortstop for a 2-0 edge. RBI singles by Birch, Katherine Theodorou (Glen Cove, N.Y.) and Jackie Giannino (Beverly, Mass.) in the sixth gave the Hawks some insurance and a 5-0 lead. The Purple Knights managed one run in the seventh off Hawk starter Megan Lemire (Worcester, Mass.) before falling by the 5-1 final. Lemire scattered eight hits over seven innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out two.

In game two, the Hawks pounded out 16 hits to sweep their second Northeast-10 doubleheader of the season. A first-inning grand slam by Kayla McEachern (Stoneham, Mass.) got things started for the Hawks, who then added six more runs in the fourth behind a six-hit attack in the inning. A three-run homer by Liz LeBrun (Rowley, Mass.) in the fifth helped complete the 14-2 rout for the Hawks.

Lisa Caruso (Granby, Conn.) allowed seven hits and two earned runs in five innings pitched to improve to 3-5 overall.

Birch led the Hawks with a 6-for-8 performance in the twinbill with a pair of doubles, three runs scored and three runs batted in. Theodorou, Giannino and LeBrun were all 4-for-8 with a combined eight runs scored.

With the sweep, the Hawks are now 18-21-1 overall and 10-13-1 in the Northeast-10. The Purple Knights fall to 10-24 overall and 6-18 in league play. Saint Anselm is back in action on Saturday, April 25th as the Hawks host Saint Rose for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.