MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College softball team split its doubleheader against Franklin Pierce University on Sunday at the South Athletic Fields.
Saint Anselm won game one, 6-0, to claim its 15th win of the season before falling 2-0 in the second game. The Hawks now own a 15-3 overall record on the season and are 12-2 against the Northeast-10 Conference. In game two, the Ravens recorded their first win over the Hawks since Apr. 14, 2016, improving to 9-5 in 2021 and to 8-4 in NE10 play.
The doubleheader was originally scheduled to be played in Rindge, N.H. but due to the recent snowfall, the Franklin Pierce field was unplayable, moving the Sunday doubleheader to the Hilltop. Due to the site swap, the Ravens were designated as the home team in each of these contests. The Hawks will travel to Rindge, N.H. on Tuesday, Apr. 20 to finish the four-game series with the Ravens starting at 3 p.m.
Led by a career-high three hits from sophomore
Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.), the Hawks scored two runs in back-to-back innings, propelling Saint Anselm to a 6-0 victory in the opener. Senior
Morgan Perry (Bethany, Conn.) captured her ninth victory of the 2021 season, striking out 11 batters while allowing four hits. Perry also broke the all-time strikeout record, surpassing
Andrea Messina '03 with 670 in her career.
In game two, after five innings of scoreless softball,
Gina Hinckley of the Ravens broke the tie with a two-run home run in the sixth and then the Ravens shut down the Hawks in the next inning, earning a slim 2-0 victory. Sophomore
McKenna Smith (Old Town, Maine) had a no-hitter heading into the sixth inning but the Ravens held on to the victory.
GAME ONE: No. 14 Saint Anselm 6, Franklin Pierce 0 (Box Score)
The first game was highlighted by a Hawks offense that scored two runs in the fourth and two runs in the fifth.
Fitzpatrick led the Hawks with three hits, two runs scored and two runs batted in. She led off the game in the first inning with a solo home run before the Hawks distanced themselves with the Ravens in the fourth.
Junior
Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) drove in Fitzpatrick that inning with a single to right center. Senior
Lauren Washburn (Carmichael, Calif.) kept the offense rolling, singling to center field and scoring freshman
Hannah Ramer (Rehoboth, Mass.) from second base.
After a lead-off walk in the fifth by senior
Erin Thompson (Newton, N.H.), classmate
Shannon Colson (Rochester, N.H.) tripled down the right field line, bringing home Thompson. In the next at-bat, Fitzpatrick drove in Colson from third after singling to left field.
In the next inning, senior
Kat Stackrow (Wynantskill, N.Y.) secured the Hawks victory in the sixth inning with a solo home run, adding an insurance run for the Hawks with an inning left. Perry would fan four of the next eight Ravens to close out the opening contest.
GAME TWO: Franklin Pierce 2, No. 14 Saint Anselm 0 (Box Score)
The second game featured a pitching duel with both teams surrendering just three hits to the other.
Smith finished with four strikeouts, allowing three hits on the day.
Samantha Sylvester of the Ravens got the starting nod in the second game, throwing five innings, allowing three hits and striking out three batters before
Cyrena Zemaitis wrapped up the win with four strikeouts and no hits allowed.
Smith held a no-hitter until the bottom of the sixth before
Madi Killebrew of the Ravens doubled down the right field line. Colson made a diving attempt at the ball, but the first base umpire ruled that the ball touched the ground. Killebrew was running all the way, moving up to second base on the play.
The very next batter, Hinckley, took full advantage with a hard-hit line drive to the opposite field that narrowly cleared the right field fence for what would prove to be the game's only runs.
Zemaitis struck out the final three Saint Anselm batters to earn the victory, working around a leadoff walk by Stackrow after a lengthy at-bat.
Colson extended her hitting streak to five games, dating back to the 9-1 victory over Southern New Hampshire on Apr. 11, 2021.
