MANCHESTER, N.H. – For the second doubleheader in a row, Pattie Turner homered in both games as the Saint Anselm College softball team swept St. Michael's 9-1 and 8-0 in a pair of six-inning wins on Wednesday afternoon at South Athletic Fields.
Saint Anselm 9, St. Michael's 1 (6 inn.) | Box
In the opener, Saint Anselm (7-12, 3-4 NE-10) broke a 1-1 tie with a six-run fourth inning and scored two in the home half of the sixth to close out the win over St. Michael's (1-13, 0-4 NE-10).
The Hawks opened the scoring on a two-out RBI single by Julie LeClair in the bottom of the third, only for the Purple Knights to answer with a run in the top of the fourth on a single by Fallon Tierney.
Saint Anselm responded with six runs on five hits in the bottom of the frame. With the bases loaded and one out, Amanda Bickford singled off the glove of the pitcher to put the Hawks ahead. Emily Crannell followed with a two-run double to center and Turner, the next batter, launched a three-run shot to left-center field to break the game open.
The score remained 7-1 until the Hawks scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. After Turner scored on an errant throw on a stolen base by Karoline Leavitt, Megan Murrell singled through the left side to score Leavitt to end the game.
Sam Hennequin earned her third win of the season with a six-inning complete game. The junior allowed one run on four hits and matched her season-high with six strikeouts without a walk.
Bickford was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI, Crannell was 2-for-2 with a run and two RBI and Turner was 1-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. LeClair and Murrell each had a pair of hits and drove in a run.
Saint Anselm 8, St. Michael's 0 (6 inn.) | Box
Arika Brochu tossed a four-hit shutout and the Hawks hit three home runs to win the nightcap 8-0 in six innings. Brochu tied her career-high with seven strikeouts and did not walk a batter to move to 4-5 this season.
The Hawks put runs on the board early for Brochu, scoring five times in the first inning. LeClair got the scoring started with a run-scoring triple down the right-field line and Leavitt and Shannon McLaughlin each slugged two-run home runs in the frame.
LeClair's RBI single in the bottom of the second made it 6-0 after two innings. Turner homered for the fifth time in seven games with a solo blast to right-center in the fourth and Leavitt ended the game with a two-out double to right center in the home half of the sixth. Leavitt's two-bagger scored Turner from second after she had doubled two batters earlier.
Leavitt drove in a career-best three runs as part of a 2-for-4 game at the plate. Turner was 2-for-4 with three runs and an RBI, LeClair was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI and Murrell was 3-for-3 in the win.
Saint Anselm plays at Stonehill on Thursday, March 31 in a game originally scheduled for Monday, March 28. First pitch between the Hawks and Skyhawks is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
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