MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Saint Anselm College softball team split Saturday afternoon's doubleheader against the Owls of Southern Connecticut State University at the South Athletic Fields. With the split, the Hawks overall record stands at 12-18 alongside a Northeast-10 Conference record of 6-8. The nationally-ranked Owls remain in first place overall in the conference with a 13-3 record in league play while improving to 25-5 overall.
The Hawks were defeated by a 9-1 score in six innings of action in the opening game of the doubleheader. Southern Connecticut jumped out to a 2-0 lead through two innings as second baseman Kate Hoffman's sacrifice fly in the first inning coupled with a home run by catcher Stacy Pouliot placed the Owls ahead early.
Southern Connecticut opened up the game in the top of the third inning as two consecutive singles to begin the frame preceded two quick outs induced by Hawks pitcher Shannon Dalton (Concord, Mass.). The next batter, Hoffman, singled to left field, driving in center fielder Brittany Bucko with the game's third run. The very next batter, shortstop Nicole Buch, slammed a home run to straight-away center field to extend the lead to 6-0 in the early goings.
The Hawks recorded their only run of the contest in the home half of the fifth inning as left fielder Mary Fay (Stoughton, Mass.) was hit by a pitch before right fielder Hayley Lombard (Coral Springs, Fla.) tripled down the right field line to plate the Hawks captain. In the visiting half of the sixth inning, the Owls received an RBI single by Bucko and a two-RBI triple by third baseman Alyssa Downs to cap off the scoring in the game.
Dalton (1-3) drew her third loss of the season, pitching three innings and allowing six earned runs in the opening game of the doubleheader. In relief, hurler Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H.) pitched three innings while striking out four batters but allowing three earned runs. Owls pitcher Jayme Larsen allowed only two Hawks hits in the game, striking out four batters in six innings.
In game two, the Hawks captured a 7-4 victory against the No. 18-ranked team in Division II, according to the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. Saint Anselm trailed by a 2-0 margin before coming to the plate in the first inning. A sacrifice fly by Downs paired with an RBI single to left field by Hoffman plated two runs prior to the bottom of the first inning.
Saint Anselm hung a six-run first inning on the scoreboard, taking an early 6-2 lead in the second game of the doubleheader. A leadoff single by shortstop Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.) preceded a walk by center fielder Monique Gauthier (Canton, Conn.). Catcher Lauren Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) singled to right field, plating Boucher to halve the Owls advantage. Third baseman Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.) followed and collected an RBI single to right field, plating Gauthier to tie the game. A sacrifice bunt by second baseman Kat Scafidi (Hudson, N.H.) placed runners at second and third for Fay.
With one out, Fay tapped an infield hit to the shortstop that plated Galavotti for the go-ahead run. The big hit in the inning came by designated player Kristen Peffer (Cumberland, R.I.), as she clubbed a two-run double to right field that plated Fay and Byrne. The inning's scoring concluded with first baseman Olivia Story (Middleton, Mass.) grounding out to shortstop, plating Peffer from third base with the sixth run of the inning.
In the top half of the third inning, Hoffmann lined a solo home run to left field, cutting into the Saint Anselm lead with the Owls third run of the game. Saint Anselm countered with a run of their own in the fifth inning as Scafidi scored on a double-steal executed with pinch runner Kasey Moran (Medford, Mass.) swiping second base.
In the seventh inning, the Owls struck again for the last run of the game for either side as Jessica Rosa slapped a single up the middle to plate infielder Kristen Whitley to bring the score to 7-4, setting up Hawks reliever Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) for a save opportunity.
Hawks starter Alexis Bogdanovich (South Portland, Maine) pitched the first four innings of the game, allowing only three earned runs alongside six hits. Trask earned her second save of the season, pitching the final three innings while striking out two batters. Freshman pitcher Kelsey Cockrill drew only her first loss of the season, allowing six earned runs and seven walks in six innings.
NOTABLES: The Hawks have not beaten the Owls of Southern Connecticut State University at the South Athletic Fields dating back to Saturday, Apr. 26, 2008 in a 7-2 victory…Left fielder Mary Fay was removed early in the second game due to illness but returned to action in the seventh inning…Designated player Kristen Peffer collected the first extra-base hit of her career in game two of today's doubleheader, ripping a two-RBI double…Catcher Lauren Galavotti is riding a five game hitting streak, collecting six hits in her last 15 at-bats (.400) and has also collected at least one hit in six of her last seven games…Pitcher Tayla Trask has not allowed more than two runs in all but one of her appearances on the season and boasts a team-leading 2.17 earned run average through 58 innings.
The Hawks return to action Wednesday, Apr. 11 as they travel to Rindge, N.H. to take on the Ravens of Franklin Pierce University in a 3:00 p.m. contest. 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).
