WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Senior Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.) went 1-for-2 and scored the Hawks' only run as the Saint Anselm College softball team suffered a 5-1 loss to the University of New Haven in the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship at the UNH Softball Field.
No. 2 Saint Anselm drops to 27-14 overall, while #1 (SW) New Haven will improve to 29-15.
Saint Anselm put the pressure on right out of the gate, working two walks to put runners on the corners, but New Haven worked out of the jam and the Hawks left Boucher and sophomore Julie LeClair (Taunton, Mass.) on base.
New Haven jumped on the board in the second when Brooke Fisher scored on a Gabby DeLeo single. After the run scored, the bases were loaded, but junior pitcher Tayla Trask (Lincoln, Maine) struck out a pair of Chargers to leave three on the base paths. New Haven added another to its lead in the third when Jess Spivey doubled and scored on a single from Fisher.
The Hawks started a rally in the fourth, but the offensive burst fell short, and the tables were turned, as the Hawks left the bases loaded. Senior Monique Gauthier (Canton, Conn.) doubled with one out, followed by singles from junior Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass.) and sophomore Pattie Turner (Warwick, R.I.), but the trio was left stranded after a pair of groundouts.
The Chargers pushed the lead to five in the fourth when a single and a pair of two-out doubles knocked in three runs. Saint Anselm scored its lone run of the contest when Boucher singled to lead off the inning then stole second and third before heading home on a groundout from junior Kasey Moran (Medford, Mass.).
Junior pitcher Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H.) provided two innings of relief and gave up one hit, while striking out one. Trask was tagged with the loss, as she gave up four earned runs, and struck out four.
The Hawks will now wait and see if they have done enough to earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Division II Softball Selection Show will take place Monday, May 5 at 10 a.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 and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
