MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College softball team made history on Monday, posting back-to-back 8-0 victories over Bentley University.

The Hawks outscored the Falcons by a combined 26-0 in the four-game series, propelling Saint Anselm to the Northeast-10 Conference series sweep with four shutouts - never before have the Hawks blanked the same NE10 opponent four times in the regular season of conference play.

Ranked 16th in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Coaches' Poll, Saint Anselm improves to 7-1 on the season and 4-0 against NE10 opponents. The Falcons fall to 2-6. The Hawks are back on Wednesday, Apr. 7 as they will host their first doubleheader at the South Athletic Fields against Assumption, starting at 3 p.m.

Saint Anselm improves to 64-15 (.810) since the start of the 2019 season. 

Against the Falcons in game one, the Hawks were fueled by a seven-run third inning to push them to an 8-0 victory. In that game, the recently-named NE10 Pitcher of the Week, senior Morgan Perry (Bethany, Conn.), fanned 10 batters in the process. Perry also earned her 70th career win and still holds the top spot on the all-time victories list.

In game two, it was a five-run fourth inning for Saint Anselm that made the difference in the game, thanks to two-run hits from seniors Shannon Colson (Rochester, N.H.) and Kat Stackrow (Wynantskill, N.Y.).

GAME ONE – No. 16 Saint Anselm 8, Bentley 0 (5 inn.) (Box Score)

A seven-run third inning for the Hawks provided the visitors with a good cushion to secure game one's victory. Saint Anselm kept its shutout streak alive at 19 runs with the convincing eight-run, five-inning win.

Perry fanned eight batters through the first four innings, ending the game with 10 strikeouts. Junior Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) got the Hawks on the board in the first inning, singling to center field to drive in Colson.

To start the third inning, Klaiber would follow up with an RBI double to left field, adding another run for the Hawks. Later in the frame, senior Erin Thompson (Newton, N.H.) singled to left field, plating Klaiber. Sophomore Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) kept the offense going with a two-run RBI triple to center field, increasing the Hawks lead to 5-0.

Senior Abbie Murrell (Scarborough, Maine) then doubled to center field, bringing home Fitzgerald. Stackrow recorded the second triple of the inning, sending Murrell home for yet another run. Colson would close out the seven-run inning with an RBI single, scoring the game's eighth run. The Hawks would hold onto the eight-run advantage to secure the victory.

Six Hawks student-athletes posted two hits apiece, with Fitzpatrick claiming a team-high two runs batted in. Freshman Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) had the first two-hit performance of her career as the Hawks finished the contest with 15 hits. Sophomore Ally Shea (Franklin, Mass.) made her collegiate debut in game one.

Monday's opening-game victory was the first time the Hawks had 15 or more hits since a 14-4 victory over Mercy (N.Y.) on Mar. 9, 2019. Saint Anselm also recorded two triples in the game, doing so for the first time since a 4-0 win over Bentley on Apr. 13, 2015.

Perry threw all five innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10 batters to earn her fourth win of the 2021 campaign. Ashley Keegan of the Falcons earned the loss, allowing eight hits and six runs in the first two innings. Payton Doiron closed the game, throwing the last three innings.

Perry has logged 29 career shutouts, the third-most among active NCAA Division II softball pitchers.

GAME TWO – No. 16 Saint Anselm 8, Bentley 0 (5 inn.) (Box Score)

After defeating the Falcons by eight runs in the first game, the Hawks followed up with the same score in game two, beating Bentley once again in five innings.

In the first inning, senior Lauren Washburn (Carmichael, Calif.) reached first on a fielding error, which allowed Colson to score the first run of the game. One inning later, Murrell hit her fourth career home run, increasing the Hawks lead to a two-run advantage. She finished the day, along with Washburn, with a six-game hitting streak.

Thanks to a five-run fourth inning, the Hawks added to their lead and carried a 7-0 advantage into the fifth inning.Stackrow started the scoring in the fourth, singling through the left side before a Falcons student-athlete threw the ball past the catcher, allowing two runs to cross the plate.

Colson then tripled to right center, bringing home an additional two runs and putting the Hawks up 6-0. Later in the inning, O'Hara had a sacrifice fly to right field, sending Colson home.

The team's eighth run of the day came off the bat of Colson, who doubled to right center and scored Fitzpatrick. She kept up a strong offensive performance on the day, finishing game two with three hits and two runs batted in.

Senior Courtney Fisher (Taunton, Mass.) closed out the game with a strikeout, wrapping her day up with a one-hitter while fanning seven batters in the process. Fisher picked up her second win of the season along with the 29th of her career.