MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Saint Anselm College softball team dropped two consecutive extra-inning contests by a 2-1 score against the Chargers of the University of New Haven Saturday afternoon at Penmen Field on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University. With the losses, the Hawks fall to 11-17 overall on the season and to 5-7 within Northeast-10 Conference play. The Chargers improve to 19-13 overall and to 9-7 within league play.
In the first game, the Hawks tied the game at one apiece in the bottom of the seventh inning before losing to the Chargers in the top half of the eighth inning. After five scoreless innings, first baseman Jess Spivey hammered a solo home run to left center field off of Hawks pitcher Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) to place the Chargers ahead by a 1-0 margin.
In the home half of the seventh inning, the Hawks tied the game at one run apiece. Two consecutive singles by catcher Lauren Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) and third baseman Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.) placed runners on first and second with zero outs. A fielder's choice by left fielder Mary Fay (Stoughton, Mass.) erased Galavotti prior to a walk by designated player Cara Crowley (Lynn, Mass.) to load the bases. An RBI groundout to the pitcher by first baseman Olivia Story (Middleton, Mass.) plated Byrne for the game-tying run.
In the top half of the eighth inning, third baseman Lindsey Couturier singled to right center to open the inning. With a runner on first base, catcher Brooke Fisher hit a ground ball to second base that was muffed by second baseman Kat Scafidi (Hudson, N.H.) to extend the inning and place runners on first and second. After inducing a pop-up to second base by shortstop Sadie Redman, Erika Williams singled up the middle to plate pinch runner Melanie Mayfield with the game-winning run for the Chargers.
Junior hurler Alana Wesche collected her 11th victory of the season for New Haven, pitching eight innings and allowing only one earned run while striking out three batters. Trask posted her third loss of the year, also pitching a complete game while allowing one earned run and striking out six batters.
For the second-straight game, the Chargers plated the go-ahead run in the visiting half of the eighth inning. In the top half of the first inning, the Hawks plated the first run of the second game. With Boucher on third base, a double-steal attempt with Scafidi on first was executed with the Hawks shortstop crossing home plate before the tag-out at second base placed Saint Anselm ahead by a 1-0 margin.
In the top half of the third inning, left fielder Shannon Angehr hammered a home run to left field off of Hawks pitcher Alexis Bogdanovich (South Portland, Maine) to knot the score at one. In the eighth inning, Bogdanovich allowed her second home run of the game to Couturier to place the Chargers ahead by a one run margin that they would not relinquish.
Junior pitcher Keri Tricinelli posted her second victory of the year in the second game of the doubleheader, allowing zero earned runs while striking out five batters. Bogdanovich was saddled with her eighth loss of the year, striking out seven batters in eight innings of work while allowing two earned runs to score.
NOTABLES: The Hawks have not beaten the University of New Haven dating back to Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2003…Second baseman Kat Scafidi has collected at least one hit in seven of her last nine contests…Catcher Noelle Lussier (Worcester, Mass.) collected her third multi-hit game of the season…Pitcher Alexis Bogdanovich has not allowed more than two earned runs in her past five appearances and has limited her opponents to three or less runs in her last nine showings…Pitcher Tayla Trask has allowed two runs or less in her previous seven appearances and has allowed three runs or more only once…Trask fired a career-high 123 pitches in today's contest.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Apr. 7 as they host the reigning Northeast-10 Conference champion Owls of Southern Connecticut State University 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 following the Hawks on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
