MANCHESTER, N.H. – Visiting Franklin Pierce hit five home runs to take both games of a Northeast-10 doubleheader against the Saint Anselm College softball team, claiming wins of 9-2 and 11-2 (5 inn.) on Thursday afternoon at South Athletic Fields.
Franklin Pierce 9, Saint Anselm 2 | Box
Franklin Pierce (9-16, 5-8 NE-10) hit four home runs in a 8-2 win in game one. Erin Wood led the way by going 4-for-4 with two home runs, three runs and four RBI, while Cassidy Sorenson was 2-for-4 with a three-run home run.
The Ravens hit three home runs in the first four innings to build a 6-0 lead. Sorenson hit a three-run homer in the first, Wood added a two-run shot in the third and Jaclyn Cortese led off the fourth with a solo home run.
Saint Anselm got on the board with a home run of its own from Julie LeClair with Megan Murrell aboard in the fourth to make it 6-2. However, Franklin Pierce responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, including Wood's second two-run home run of the game.
LeClair's third home run of the season accounted for the only runs FPU starter Amanda Adee gave up in the game. Adee scattered 10 hits with no walks and one strikeout in a complete game.
Amanda Bickford was 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot for the Hawks. Murrell, LeClair and Emily Crannell each had a pair of hits.
Franklin Pierce 11, Saint Anselm 2 (5 inn.) | Box
Franklin Pierce broke open a 3-1 game with an eight-run fifth to complete the sweep with an 11-2 win in game two. Samantha Bonvino went 2-for-3 with two runs and four RBI and was one of five Ravens with multiple hits in the nightcap.
After two scoreless innings, the Ravens plated two runs on four consecutive singles in the top of the third with Courtney Caputo and Sorensen driving in runs. The Hawks got one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Murrell.
After a sacrifice fly by Bonvino in the fourth gave Franklin Pierce a two-run lead again, the Ravens scored eight runs on eight hits in the fifth. The big hits in the inning were a two-run home run by Cortese, her second of the afternoon, and a bases-clearing, three-run triple by Bonvino.
Saint Anselm got one run in the bottom of the fifth on a Murrell single that scored Bickford. Bickford, Pattie Turner, Murrell and Jordan O'Connor each had a hit in game two for the Hawks.
Sabrina Lomonaco earned the win for Franklin Pierce by allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits in five innings of work. She did not walk a batter and struck out two.
Saint Anselm continues a stretch of eight games in five days with a single game against Bentley on Friday, April 15 at 4 p.m. at South Athletic Fields.
