MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Saint Anselm College softball team split the first doubleheader of the year at the South Athletic Fields with the River Hawks of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell by posting an 8-4 loss in the opener followed by a 12-5 victory in the second game Saturday afternoon. With the split, the Hawks overall record stands at 7-13 while collecting their first Northeast-10 Conference victory (1-3). The River Hawks end their day with an overall record of 13-7 alongside an NE-10 record of 3-3.
A six-run top of the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie as the Hawks allowed seven hits while making one error in the frame. Following a bunt single by second baseman Krista MacKenzie, pitcher Elyssa Boris slammed a double to left center field. With runners on the corners, catcher Lindsi Panarelli doubled to right center field to break the deadlock. Following the Panarelli double, Hawks starter Alexis Bogdanovich (South Portland, Maine) yielded to freshman hurler Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H.). Cormier induced a groundout to begin her afternoon, but allowed the next four batters to reach base safely before inducing a groundout to third base to conclude the inning.
The Hawks struck first in the game as catcher Lauren Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) drove home Hawks shortstop Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.) with an RBI single up the middle to grant the home team a 1-0 lead. The River Hawks answered in their half of the third inning as MacKenzie collected her first of two hits on the afternoon to plate leadoff batter Ariana Darcy.
Two out of the first three Saint Anselm batters in the bottom of the sixth inning reached on errors by sophomore Ali Ferraro to place runners on first and second. After designated player Cara Crowley (Lynn, Mass.) reached via the second error of the inning, third baseman Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.) cracked her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot to left field, to shrink the deficit to three runs.
The River Hawks converted their eighth run of the game in the top of the seventh inning as Boris, who led off the inning, advanced to third base and eventually scored courtesy of two Saint Anselm errors.
Bogdanovich (1-6) drew her sixth loss of the season, allowing three earned runs through five innings pitched. Cormier pitched two full innings, allowing four earned runs off of five hits and one walk. Boris (9-3) pitched a complete game, allowing only two earned runs while striking out 12 Saint Anselm batters.
The Hawks fortunes reversed in the final game of the doubleheader as they trailed only once in a 12-5 victory. The River Hawks plated one run in the top of the first inning for the only time in the game in which Saint Anselm would trail. A Boris sacrifice fly to center field plated the leadoff batter Darcy, who led off the game with a single, to place UMass Lowell ahead 1-0.
Saint Anselm answered quickly in the bottom half of the stanza as a leadoff double by Boucher preceded Hawks second baseman Kat Scafidi's (Hudson, N.H.) first home run of the season that plated two runs. With one out, Galavotti singled to the third baseman and was advanced to second by a Hannah Byrne single. With runners on first and second, a fly ball to center field by Crowley advanced Galavotti to third base. Byrne left first early and was hung up long enough to allow Galavotti to score in the back door from third base with the Hawks third run of the afternoon.
After a walk by infielder Danielle Crutcher to begin the visiting half of the second inning, Ferraro doubled to left field and drove in the lead-off batter to cut into the deficit. After a scoreless third inning, the Hawks answered in a big way in the home half of the fourth inning. After Galavotti reached on her second infield single of the afternoon, first baseman Olivia Story (Middleton, Mass.) cranked a two-run home run to left field to extend the Hawks lead in the fourth inning.
Despite a game-tying three run home run by designated player Caelyn Ford in the top of the fifth inning, the Hawks did not waste any additional time striking back in the home half of the fifth inning. Bogdanovich, who played the second game in right field, tripled down the right field line to lead off the inning. A Scafidi double down the left field line plated Bogdanovich for what would prove to be the game-winning run. After a walk by center fielder Monique Gauthier (Canton, Conn.), Galavotti collected her third hit of the afternoon to plate two additional runs as both Scafidi and Boucher scored. To conclude the inning, Gauthier scored on a passed ball and Crowley lofted a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Galavotti before the inning's conclusion.
In the sixth inning, Galavotti collected her fourth hit and third run batted in of the day to finish 4-for-4 in the second game of the doubleheader. Earlier in the inning, Bogdanovich reached on an error and later scored on an error by shortstop Meagan Guy.
In relief for Saint Anselm, pitcher Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) collected her third victory of the season (3-1) despite allowing two earned runs in the fifth inning. Pitcher Shannon Dalton (Concord, Mass.) earned the start in game two, pitching the first four innings and allowing only three earned runs while striking out one River Hawks batter. Freshman pitcher Aimee LaLancette (Mason, N.H.) entered the game in the sixth inning and allowed zero earned runs through her two innings of work.
UMass Lowell pitcher Courtney Lanfranchi received a no-decision for her efforts, allowing five runs off of seven hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. Boris, who received the victory in the first game, was saddled with her fourth loss of the season after allowing seven runs in only 2 1/3 innings.
NOTABLES: First baseman Olivia Story, second baseman Kat Scafidi and third baseman Hannah Byrne each collected their first home runs of the season…Byrne and Story each notched their first collegiate home runs in today's victory…As a team, the Hawks batted .321 (18-for-56) across both games of today's doubleheader…Catcher Lauren Galavotti set a career-high in the second game of today's doubleheader, collecting four hits for the first time in her three-year career…Both Galavotti and Scafidi set a career-high by scoring three runs in today's second game.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Mar. 24 as they travel to Bentley University to play the Falcons in a doubleheader commencing promptly at 12:00 p.m. in Waltham, Mass. 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).
