FLUSHING, N.Y. -  The Saint Anselm College softball team was swept by the Knights of Queens (N.Y.) College, posting a 5-1 loss in game one and a 5-2 defeat in two non-conference games Saturday afternoon.  Through 14 games on the season, the Hawks are 4-10 overall and are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.  The Knights improve to 7-1 on the season.

Hawks starter Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H.) was touched for four runs in the first inning of game one as the Knights posted a 5-1 victory to open up the afternoon's action.  With one out, sophomore outfielder Melissa Natale drew a walk that preceded a single by catcher Kaitlyn Crowley.  The very next batter, first baseman Carla Pennolino, drove a three-run home run over the fence in left-center field, placing the Knights ahead by a 3-0 margin. 

Outfielder Cat Franzone, who singled following the Pennolino home run, later scored following a muffed throw by the Saint Anselm first baseman to extend the lead to four runs.  In the first inning alone, Saint Anselm made three errors in the field, allowing four runs off of only three hits.

In the bottom of the third inning, Franzone led off the inning with her second hit of the afternoon and was later driven in by an RBI groundout by infielder Samantha Mattsson to place the Knights ahead by a 5-0 margin.

Saint Anselm scored their first run of the afternoon in the top of the fourth inning as a wild pitch by Queens pitcher Isabelle Yaroch plated Hawks outfielder Monique Gauthier (Canton, Conn.) to cut into the deficit.

Cormier (3-4) drew her fourth loss of the season, allowing three earned runs off of three hits after recording only one out in the game.  Reliever Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) pitched effectively in relief, allowing only three hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched while striking out four Knights.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Knights once again scored five runs en route to a 5-2 win.  The Hawks, however, struck first as they plated two runs in the top of the first inning to jump out to the early lead.  An infield single by shortstop Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.) drove in two-hole hitter Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.), who walked in her first plate appearance of the second game.  A sacrifice fly by infielder Kat Scafidi (Hudson, N.H.) plated Gauthier after she reached via a single earlier in the inning.

Queens quickly answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, as a leadoff double by Jennifer Shereyka preceded a walk by Natale.  A wild pitch by Hawks starter Hayley Leclaire (Hudson Falls, N.Y.) advanced both Shereyka and Natale into scoring position, setting up Crowley who lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, driving in Shereyka to halve the Hawks advantage.  On the play, a fielding error by Gauthier in center field advanced Natale to third.  The ensuing groundout by Pennolino plated Natale for an unearned run.

With two outs in the home half of the fourth inning, freshman pinch hitter Monique Roberge slapped a three-run home run to left field to place Queens ahead by a 5-2 margin.  Hawks pitcher Alexis Bogdanovich (South Portland, Maine) allowed a single to Mattsson and a walk to third baseman Allison Breakey, preceding Roberge's heroics in the later stages of the game.

Bogdanovich (0-4) allowed three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out four Queens batters.  Knights pitcher Nicole Turato (4-0) remains undefeated on the season, picking up her fourth victory after pitching a complete game while striking out two Hawks batters on the afternoon.

NOTABLES: Freshman outfielder Hayley Lombard (Coral Springs, Fla.) leads the team in batting, collecting six hits in 19 at-bats (6-for-19, .316)…Reliever Tayla Trask leads the team in earned-run average, posting a 2.30 mark across a team-best 27 1/3 innings pitched, striking out 26 batters while allowing only seven earned runs to date…Shortstop Nicole Boucher has collected three hits in six at-bats across the doubleheader this afternoon and has four hits across her last 11 at-bats (.364), including three doubles.

The Hawks return to action Sunday, Mar. 18 as they travel to Saint Thomas Aquinas Collage to partake in a doubleheader commencing at 12:00 p.m.  Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).