WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Nicole Boucher (Woonsockett, R.I.) hit two homeruns and drove in five runs as the Saint Anselm College softball team opened up Northeast-10 conference play by splitting a pair of games with the University of New Haven on Saturday afternoon, taking the first game 7-6 and dropping the second 2-1.
The Hawks now stand at 3-9 for the 2013 season and 1-1 in NE-10 conference play, while the Chargers will improve to 8-4 and 1-1 in league play.
In the first game, after a trio of walks for the Hawks in the top of the third, Boucher pounded a grand slam over the fence giving Saint Anselm a 4-0 lead. The Chargers earned one run back in the bottom of the inning as Brandy Dianno scored on a Lucy Francisco double to left center.
Saint Anselm added a run to its total in the top of the fourth as Olivia Story (Middleton, Mass.) singled to right, putting runners on first and third with one out. Hayley Lombard (Boynton Beach, Fla.) then drove in the runner on third to give the Hawks the 5-1 lead.
New Haven cut the lead to two at 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth, when Saint Anselm gave up a pair of unearned runs following two stolen bases and a couple Hawk errors.
In the top of the sixth, Gina Treglia (Fairfield, Conn.) led off the inning with a single up the middle. Emily Crannell (Wilmington, Mass.), who pinch ran for Treglia, advanced to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch. Following a Story sac fly, Crannell scored and Julie LeClair (Taunton, Mass.) advanced to third, to push the Hawk lead to three with a score of 6-3. LeClair would then score on a double steal, adding another run to the Hawks' tally.
The Chargers put up three runs in the bottom half of the inning to bring the game to its final score of 7-6.
Treglia went 3-for-3, while starting pitcher Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) went seven innings for the Hawks giving up four earned runs and striking out 13.
The second game for the Hawks didn't fare so well as Saint Anselm could only muster three hits for one run, which came via a Boucher homerun in the top of the third.
New Haven answered in the bottom half of the inning and the game remained tied at 1-1 until the Chargers broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth.
Treglia and Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.) were credited with the other two hits for the Hawks. Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H.) pitched six for Saint Anselm and struck out two batters.
The Hawks return to action Sunday, March 24 when they travel to Southern Connecticut State for a double-header taking place at 12 p.m. and 2 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 following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
