COCOA, Fla. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College softball team was swept in Sunday's doubleheader, falling to Barry in five innings before dropping the afternoon contest to Wingate at the Launch Pad Sports Complex.
Saint Anselm, the No. 8 team in NCAA Division II, returns to New Hampshire with a 1-4 record on the season. Barry defeated the Hawks for the second time in three days, improving to 7-3 overall while Wingate ups its record to 7-2 on the year.
The Hawks got on the board in the bottom of the first inning against Barry, but the Buccaneers racked up 10 consecutive runs to end the game in just five innings.
Wingate scored two runs in the first inning versus Saint Anselm, forcing the Hawks to tie the game, but four unanswered runs by the Bulldogs secured the win.
Saint Anselm returns to action Saturday, Feb. 26 at the East Stroudsburg Warriors Snowball Invitational. The Hawks will play two games against St. Thomas Aquinas before taking on the host Warriors to conclude the three-game trip.
GAME ONE: Barry 10, Saint Anselm 1 (5 inn.)
A lead-off single by freshman Ava Caputo (Waterford, N.Y.) put the Hawks in business early, but she was thrown out later in the inning trying to steal second base. Just two batters later, sophomore Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) slugged a deep home run to left field to put the Hawks ahead, 1-0.
Barry immediately pushed across two runs in the top of the second inning as a leadoff walk scored on a home run, tying the game at two.
An eight-run top of the fourth inning sent Saint Anselm to its first run-rule loss since the 2018 season. The Buccaneers scored eight runs on six hits to put the game out of reach for Saint Anselm.
Freshman Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) gave up seven earned runs in three innings while junior Ava Vincequere (Shrewsbury, Mass.) conceded three earned in two innings. Barry saw a pair of pitchers combine for seven innings with eight strikeouts and just one walk.
GAME TWO: Wingate 6, Saint Anselm 2
The Hawks were down two runs in the bottom of the first inning as a lead-off error and walk were driven in by a two-run triple off sophomore Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.), who was making her second collegiate start as DiPippo did in the opening game.
With one out in the top of the fourth inning, O'Hara drew a walk. With one out, senior Bailey Cain (Wellington, Fla.) hit a two-run home run to left field to dramatically tie the game at two.
A two-run home run by Wingate in the next half inning pushed the Bulldogs back in front where they would stay. For good measure, Wingate tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, using three hits in the stanza to add insurance.
Hicks drew the loss, conceding six earned runs in five innings. DiPippo came on in relief to throw one inning, walking two batters. Wingate allowed just two hits in the game, striking out seven Hawks between two pitchers.
