AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College softball team finished Friday with a crucial in-region victory over Bridgeport, 5-1, after falling to Truman, 7-1, earlier in the day.
As the 12th-ranked team in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Poll, the Hawks head into the final day of action in Florida with a 14-4 record. The Bulldogs improve to 2-3 while the Purple Knights drop to 1-3 in 2020.
A four-run second inning for the Bulldogs helped Truman to take control of the game early and hold onto the lead for the remainder of the game, capturing a 7-1 victory against the Hawks.
After the Purple Knights scored early in the third, Saint Anselm gained the momentum and tallied two runs in the third and sixth to capture a key regional win over Bridgeport. Junior Maddi Leite (Cumberland, R.I.) brought home two runs in the win.
Senior Maggie Murphy (Scarborough, Maine) finished game two with 35 doubles in her career, ranking sixth in program history alongside Monique Gauthier '14. Murphy also moved up the team's list in career hits with 156 which ties Delia Morrissey '02 for seventh. Senior Shannon Colson (Rochester, N.H.) is also now alone in fifth place with 165 career hits.
Truman 7, No. 12 Saint Anselm 1 | Box Score
The Bulldogs came out of the gate with four runs in the second inning which powered them to the victory.
Cameryn Patterson got Truman going with a two-RBI double before Emma Walbert followed with a single to second base, bringing in two runs. In the bottom half of the third, McKenzie West tacked on another two runs for the Bulldogs, hitting a home run over the right field wall to give Truman a 6-0 advantage. Following a Patterson walk in the fourth, Macy Taylor scored off a miscue by the Hawks defense, adding to the Bulldogs cushion.
The Hawks finally got on the board as senior Erin Thompson (Newton, N.H.) singled through the left side gap to bring home Colson from third. The margin was too much for the Hawks to mount a late come back in the final two innings.
Freshman Kylee Royer (Blackshear, Ga.) played the first game of her college career. Murphy and Colson led the Hawks with two hits each. Colson was the only student-athlete in the game to steal a base. Colson now has posted 81 career stolen bases which holds the top spot in the all-time list after game two. She has stolen 11 bases so far this year. Leite drew a team-high two walks in the game.
Junior Courtney Fisher (Taunton, Mass.) earned the start, allowing six hits while sending down two batters via strikeout. Sophomore McKenna Smith (Old Town, Maine) finished the contest in the final three and one third innings, not allowing a single Truman hit. Smith recorded six strikeouts on the day.
No. 12 Saint Anselm 5, Bridgeport 1 | Box Score
After allowing one run in the early goings, Saint Anselm responded by doubles from Murphy and Leite which gave the Hawks the lead. Saint Anselm held onto that advantage for the rest of the contest, capturing the win.
After two scoreless innings, Bridgeport grabbed an early lead with a RBI single from Allison Luzzi in the third. A half inning later, the Hawks were able to get their bats going, scoring three runs. After a lead-off single by Fitzpatrick, Murphy split the left side of the outfield for a double before advancing to third on the ensuing throw. On the play, Fitzpatrick tied the game at one. Later in the inning, Leite had a ground-rule double down the right field line, bringing home Colson and Murphy. The Hawks finished the inning with a 3-1 advantage.
Both senior Morgan Perry (Bethany, Conn.) and Miranda Hillman dominated the next three innings, allowing a total of three hits until the top of the sixth inning.
Thompson began a two-run sixth inning with a standup double down the left field line. Following two fly balls, sophomore Bailey Cain (Wellington, Fla.) found a spot down the right field line, helping Thompson to round home. Freshman Lauren Moran (Leicester, Mass.) pinch ran for Cain at second. With a runner on second, sophomore Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) drove in Moran after hitting a line-drive double to give the Hawks a 5-1 cushion.
Murphy and Fitzpatrick had two hits each in the win while Leite brought in a team-high two runs.
Perry claimed her ninth straight win to remain undefeated on the year, striking out seven batters while drawing four walks. Hillman started the contest for the Purple Knights, fanning four batters.
The Hawks will play their final games of spring break on Saturday, Mar. 7 against No. 24 Southern Indiana and Saint Thomas Aquinas with game one starting at 9:15 a.m. The matchup between the Eagles and the Hawks is a rematch from the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship series.
