MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College softball team lost both games of a doubleheader against cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University Tuesday evening at Penmen Field. With the losses, the Hawks drop to 6-12 overall on the season while losing their first two Northeast-10 Conference games of the season (0-2). The Penmen improve to 9-3 overall on the year and collect their first NE-10 victories of the season (2-0).
The Penmen collected a 4-3 walk-off victory in the first game of the doubleheader to edge the Hawks in 10 innings of action. With a Penmen runner placed on second to begin the bottom of the 10th inning, senior Amanda Barton was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. With the Hawks ahead by a 3-2 score to begin the inning, three consecutive bunts plated both the game-tying and game-winning runs to end the game.
Pitcher Ali Maloof sacrificed the placed runner, Jessica Berardi, to third and Barton to second. The ensuing Nikki Newell bunt forced Maloof at second but plated Berardi with the game-tying run. The game ended in walk-off fashion when Cristy Jenkins' bunt to the left side of the infield scored Barton to end the contest.
Saint Anselm scored the first run of the game as an RBI single by third baseman Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.) scored pinch-runner Danielle DiBiase (South Portland, Maine) with the go-ahead run in the top of the fourth inning. The Penmen answered with two runs of their own in their half of the fifth inning as shortstop Kate Stanley homered down the left field line to knot the game at one apiece. Newell collected her first RBI of the day later in the inning, grounding out to Hawks pitcher Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) while scoring Barton on the play.
The Hawks tied the game at two apiece in the top half of the seventh inning. Byrne, the inning's first batter, doubled to left field to commence the inning. Left fielder Mary Fay (Stoughton, Mass.) singled to left field, advancing pinch runner Aimee LaLancette (Mason, N.H.) to third base. Pitcher Dolores Mattice uncorked a wild pitch that made its way to the backstop, plating LaLancette with the game-tying run.
The Hawks took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning as shortstop Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that scored the placed runner Hayley Lombard (Coral Springs, Fla.), who had previously advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Maloof.
For the Hawks, starting pitcher Shannon Dalton (Concord, Mass.) pitched the first four innings of the contest, allowing one earned run while striking out one Penmen batter. In relief, Trask (2-1) collected only her first loss of the season, allowing only one earned run through 5 1/3 relief innings pitched while striking out two. Mattice pitched the first eight innings for Southern New Hampshire, striking out 13 batters while allowing only two earned runs. Maloof (4-2) collected her fourth win of the season, relieving Mattice and allowing zero earned runs and two strikeouts.
In the first ever softball game under the new permanent lighting at Penmen Field, the Hawks mustered only one hit as the Penmen cruised to a 3-0 victory. The Penmen collected their first run in the top of the first inning as a leadoff bunt single by Maloof began the scoring for the home team. With two outs following the single by Maloof, a single to right field by Kelsea Cheney scored Maloof from first to grant the Penmen a 1-0 lead.
With one out in the home half of the second inning, Southern New Hampshire rattled off four consecutive hits, including a double by Maloof to drive in both Farmer and Stanley with the second and third runs, respectively, for the Penmen.
Catcher Cara Crowley (Lynn, Mass.) collected the Hawks lone hit of the second game, singling to left field and advancing to second base on an error by the Penmen left fielder.
Saint Anselm pitcher Alexis Bogdanovich (South Portland, Maine) pitched six innings, allowing only three earned runs while striking out five Penmen batters. Maloof (5-2) earned her second win of the day and her fifth of the season, allowing only one hit to the Hawks while striking out three in a complete game effort.
NOTABLES: The Penmen exit today's doubleheader riding a six-game winning streak against their cross-town rival…The last Saint Anselm victory over Southern New Hampshire came on Apr. 8, 2009, a 2-1 victory…Hawks pitcher Tayla Trask ranks fourth in the Northeast-10 Conference with 34 strikeouts to her credit…Trask is also tied for third in the conference with nine appearances.
Saint Anselm hosts the River Hawks of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell in their home-opener this Saturday, Mar. 24 in a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m. at the South Athletic Fields. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by joining the Hawks on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
