CLERMONT, Fla. – The Saint Anselm College softball team defeated Concordia (N.Y.) College by a final score of 11-4, and fell to Post University, 2-0, in the second half of the day's action on the second day of play in Clermont, Fla., for the team's spring break trip.
The Hawks now stand at a record of 1-3 on the young season, while Concordia falls to 0-3 and Post improves to 4-2. The victory over Concordia was the first career win for head coach Shawna Bellaud, who was named to the post in August 2012.
The Hawks jumped on the scoreboard in the second inning when Gina Treglia (Fairfield, Conn.) led the inning off with a double, followed by an Olivia Story (Middleton, Mass.) single to center and a Hayley Lombard (Coral Springs, Fla.) bunt single. The bases were loaded for Kasey Moran (Medford, Mass.), who singled through the drawn in left side of the infield, to plate the first Hawk run. Lauren Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) followed that performance with a deep double to left-center that scored two more runs for a 3-0 Saint Anselm lead. Concordia was able to escape the inning without any further damage.
Concordia jump-started its offense to put up four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-3 lead. Two miscues in the field by the Hawks led to a couple runs, before Concordia's Kristina Patrocinio hit a two-run home run to cap the inning's scoring.
The Hawks tied the game in the bottom half of the third when Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.), who singled to start the inning, was driven in by a Story groundout.
The score remained 4-4 until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Byrne stepped up to the plate again and smashed a solo home run over the left field fence to give the Hawks a 5-4 lead.
The next inning, the Hawk offense exploded for six runs on five hits. Following singles by Boucher and Moran, Galavotti came to the plate and drove a base hit to right field. After an errant Concordia throw from the outfield, Boucher scored, while Moran advanced to third and Galavotti moved to second. Next up was Monique Gauthier (Canton, Conn.), who drove in Moran and advanced Galavotti to third base when her ground ball to the shortstop was muffed.
The Hawks then took advantage of a double steal, which was successful in advancing both runners and gave the Hawks an 8-4 lead. The following at bat, Byrne smoked a home run past the left field fence for a 10-4 Saint Anselm lead. Following a Saint Anselm strikeout, Treglia joined the hit parade as she hit her first collegiate home run over the left field fence for an 11-4 lead. Byrne's two home runs were a career high for the sophomore.
Treglia finished the day 4-for-4, just a triple short of the cycle, while Byrne was 3-for-4 and Lombard contributed a pair of hits and one RBI.
The lead was more than enough for Saint Anselm starting pitcher Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine), who went seven innings for the Hawks and only surrendered five hits and four runs, of which only two were earned. Trask also struck out nine batters.
In the day's second game against Post, the Hawks accumulated eight hits, but could not string them together as Eagles' starting pitcher Samantha Esque was able to work her way out of several jams.
The bottom of the fourth was the only inning to see any scoring as Post pushed across two runs on five hits. After scoring the two runs on four singles and an error, Saint Anselm starting pitcher Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H.) was able to work out of the jam by retiring three Eagles on a pair of lineouts and a fielder's choice.
The Hawks had an opportunity to tie the game in top of the seventh when Lombard singled to left-center with two outs. Lombard's knock was followed by a deep Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.) double, but the Hawks were silenced as Esque finished the inning and the game by inducing pop out.
Cormier pitched all six innings for the Hawks, giving up two earned runs, while yielding nine hits and striking out one.
Saint Anselm returns to the field March 7 when it plays a double-header with Saint Francis (Ill.) at 1 p.m. and 3 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).
