SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College softball team was swept by American International by scores of 13-5 in six innings and 9-1 in five innings in its first Northeast-10 Conference games of the season on Saturday afternoon at Groff Field.
American International 13, Saint Anselm 5 (6 inn.) | Box
American International (8-6, 3-1 NE-10) used a seven-run bottom of the fourth to overcome a 3-0 deficit and went on to add six more over the final two innings to deal Saint Anselm (4-10, 0-2 NE-10) a 13-5 setback in the opener.
Megan Murrell was 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, while Pattie Turner homered and drove in three for the Hawks. Karoline Leavitt added a pinch-hit, run-scoring single.
After three scoreless innings, the Hawks opened the scoring with a three-run top of the fourth. Murrell broke the deadlock by doubling in Emily Crannell, who had doubled to start the frame, and later scored on a two-run home run by Turner. The long ball was Turner's team-best second of the season.
The lead did not last long, however, as AIC plated seven runs in the bottom of the frame. The first six batters all reached base via a hit for the Yellow Jackets and five of the hits went for extra bases. Kaley Kempf and Kristen Steele each hit two-run homers in the inning.
After AIC added two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead 9-3, Saint Anselm got two back in the top of the sixth. Murrell started the inning with a double, moved to third on a single by Julie LeClair and scored on an error. Later, Leavitt cut the deficit to four, 9-5, with a RBI single down the right-field line.
The Yellow Jackets took advantage of four walks in the bottom of the sixth to score four runs to end the game. Jorrdin Miller and Alexa DiLeo both had run-scoring singles in the inning for the hosts.
Alyssa Camargo went the distance on the mound for AIC and struck out 10 to improve to 5-2 on the season.
American International 9, Saint Anselm 1 (5 inn.) | Box
American International jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning of game two and went on to claim the sweep with a 9-1 win in five innings. Starter Jillian Bedard held the Hawks to one unearned run on four hits to pick up the win.
Six of the first seven batters of the game reached for the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the first. Ashley Hughes and Lyndsey Letourneau both drove in runs with singles before DiLeo delivered the big hit of the first-run first with a three-run double down the left-field line.
Saint Anselm scored its lone run of the game in the top of the second when Leavitt came in to score while Leiandra Wilson was caught stealing second. Miller knocked in a run in the second, Kempf plated two with a single in the fourth and pinch hitter Ainslee Penfield ended the game with an RBI double to center in the fifth for the hosts.
Eight of AIC's nine starters had at least one hit, led by DiLeo's 2-for-3, three RBI performance. Ashley Hughes was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, while Kempf was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI.
Amanda Bickford had two of Saint Anselm's four hits in the game. Leavitt and Emily Barrett each had one.
Saint Anselm plays at Franklin Pierce on Tuesday, March 22 at 4 p.m. with the team's first Northeast Division game of the year.
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