COLCHESTER, Vt. – The Saint Anselm College softball team traveled to Vermont on Thursday afternoon and split a pair of games with Saint Michael's College, dropping the first one, 4-3, before taking the second, 11-1, at Doc Jacobs Field.
The Hawks move to a record of 16-17, while the Purple Knights earned their first win of the 2013 campaign and stand at 1-30.
Saint Anselm was first to score in game one when Hayley Lombard (Boynton Beach, Fla.) singled to the shortstop to score Olivia Story (Middleton, Mass.) in the second inning.
The Purple Knights had the answer in the bottom of the third as they put up four runs to take the lead at 4-1. Saint Anselm earned two back in the fourth when Pattie Turner (Warwick R.I) hit a two-run double to right center, plating both Lombard and Story.
The Hawks cranked out three hits in their final three at bats, but left three on base and could not score the tying run. Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) struck out seven batters over six innings pitched, giving up just one earned run.
Saint Anselm rebounded in the second game, however, backed by five RBI from Julie LeClair (Taunton, Mass.) and three from Story. Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H.) earned the win with seven innings pitched and two strikeouts, giving up just one run.
The Hawks began scoring in the third when LeClair hit a ground-rule double to right, scoring Lauren Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) and advancing Turner to third, who reached on a single. Gina Treglia (Fairfield, Conn.) followed this up with a single, scoring Turner. With the 2-0 lead, and runners on first and second, Story hit a two-RBI single up the middle, stretching the Hawk lead to four.
Saint Anselm doubled its lead in the sixth when LeClair drove in a pair of runs with a single through the right side and Turner scored on a Saint Michael's fielding error. Story's base knock scored LeClair and gave the Hawks the 8-0 lead.
The Purple Knights earned one back in the bottom of the sixth, before Saint Anselm put up three more, for the 11-1 lead as LeClair's triple to right scored Galavotti and Kristen Peffer (Cumberland, R.I.). Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.) brought in the final run for the Hawks as she hit an RBI single, scoring LeClair.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, April 20 at 12 p.m. when they travel to Merrimack College for a doubleheader. 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).
