MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College softball team will travel to Vermont to play Saint Michael's College this weekend, starting on Friday, Apr. 23. The doubleheader features games at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Due to anticipated rain on Sunday, Apr. 25, the Hawks and Purple Knights' matchup was rescheduled for Friday.

Saint Anselm is fresh off, splitting its four-game series with Franklin Pierce this past weekend, defeating the Ravens 6-0 in the opening game but falling 2-0 in the second game on Sunday, Apr. 18. The Hawks responded by picking up the bats, winning 11-1 in five innings. The Ravens came out with a narrow 2-1 victory in the final game of the series.

The Hawks head into the contest knowing that the NCAA Division II East Region Championship will be hosted at their own field. Earlier this week, the Hawks fall to No. 15 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Poll.

The Doc Jacobs Field Complex – including Duffy Field and the Doc Jacobs baseball and softball fields – will be open to Saint Michael's students for sporting events, no more than 150 students will be permitted to enter the field space at any one time. There will be no external spectators allowed at any Saint Michael's sporting events. For more information – please refer to the spectator policy.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS

• The Hawks head into the contests with a 16-4 overall record and 13-3 against Northeast-10 Conference opponents. So far this season, Saint Anselm is 8-2 on the road.
• Saint Anselm exploded for 11 runs in the first game on Tuesday, never looking back on the way to a 10-run victory that was shortened to five innings via run rule. The Hawks pounded out 15 hits in game one, but were stymied in the second game, logging just three hits and scoring their lone run on a defensive miscue.
• In the game, senior Shannon Colson (Rochester, N.H.) became Saint Anselm's all-time leader in games played on Tuesday, playing in her 179th and 180th career games. Former teammate Jordan O'Connor '20 was the previous holder, playing in 178 games from 2016-19. Colson also moved to second place all-time with 186 hits, passing Nicole Boucher '14 who produced 185 in her career.
• Hawks pitchers held up their end of the bargain in the split on Tuesday, allowing just one earned run across 11 innings of work. Senior Morgan Perry (Bethany, Conn.) moved to 10-0 on the season, striking out six batters in three innings before yielding to classmate Courtney Fisher (Taunton, Mass.), who threw two innings of relief while striking out four.
• Perry also became the program's all-time leader in innings pitched, throwing 630 innings since joining the team as a freshman in 2017. So far this season, Perry holds the best mark in all of Division II with 13.3 strikeouts per seven innings.
• Sophomore McKenna Smith (Old Town, Maine) pitched well in the second game, striking out six across as many innings of work. The Hawks still own the best earned run average in the nation with a combined 0.76 mark.

PREVIEWING THE PURPLE KNIGHTS

• The Purple Knights own a 5-11 record heading into the weekend, defeating Bentley earlier in the season but falling all four times against Southern New Hampshire this past weekend.
• Grace Trautman leads the team with a .465 batting average, hitting in a team-high 11 runs in and recording 20 hits and scoring 11 runs on her own. Leign Brandenbburg holds a .267 batting average, while also stealing a team-high seven bases.
• The Purple Knights pitching staff is led by Jackie Cherry who has started in eight games, holding a 4-7 record and owning a 3.66 earned run average. Her teammate Hannah Arruda has started in three games, throwing 21 innings where she has a 5.00 earned run average.
• Truatman drilled her third home run in eight games during the final game of the series against the Penmen, tying the program's rookie record with four home runs this season. As a team, the Purple Knights have recorded 10 home runs this season, tying for sixth in program history.
• Trautman also has recorded 123 putouts out of 130 chances.

ALL-TIME vs. SAINT MICHAEL'S

• Since 2004, the Hawks have defeated the Purple Knights 33 of their 40 chances. Saint Anselm owns a seven-game winning streak over Saint Michael's, dating back to Apr. 27, 2017 when the hawks won 5-0.
• The Hawks recorded their longest win streak against the Purple Knights, featuring 12 games which spanned from 2009 to 2013. In the past 10 matchups, the Hawks are 9-1.
• In the last matchup between these two teams, Colson set the career steals mark in the sweep over Saint Michael's. The Hawks won the first game by a 6-1 margin while taking the second contest by a 10-0 score in five innings.