MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College softball team secured two more wins on Wednesday, downing Bentley University by scores of 3-0 and 4-3.
Saint Anselm has won 11 of its last 12 games, improving to 18-11 and to 11-3 versus Northeast-10 Conference opponents. Bentley has lost 12 games in a row to the Hawks, dropping to 13-13 on the year and to 3-7 versus the NE10.
Four had multiple-hit games for Saint Anselm as the Hawks combined for three solo home runs on the day. The hosts were also perfect in the field, recording 42 errorless putouts in the field. The tandem of Hawks pitchers, sophomore Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) and freshman Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.), gave up just three earned runs on the day.
Hicks now leads the NE10 in pitching victories with 14, two more than the second-place pitcher. With seven shutouts on the season (including three in a row), she becomes just the fifth student-athlete in team history to post that many scoreless games.
Saint Anselm welcomes Stonehill to campus on Saturday, Apr. 16 in an NE10 doubleheader beginning at high noon.
GAME ONE – Saint Anselm 3, Bentley 0
Saint Anselm slugged three solo home runs in game one, accounting for the game's only offense. Senior Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) and junior Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) stroked back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning and sophomore Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) lined a solo home run to center in the fifth.
Fitzpatrick was making her first start since Mar. 27 against Pace and hit her second home run of the season, matching a single-season high.
In the top of the fifth inning, ahead by a 2-0 margin, Hicks got the Hawks out of trouble with the bases loaded. She was able to get the Bentley batter to pop up to the catcher, escaping danger. Bentley also placed a runner on base in the top of the seventh to open the stanza, but Hicks eluded the threat.
Bentley out-hit Saint Anselm, six-to-five, and had the lead-off batter on base in four of the game's seven innings but could not capitalize.
Hicks improves to 14-2 overall on the year, striking out three batters. The tandem of Bentley hurlers allowed three earned runs, getting just one Hawks batter to strike out in the game.
GAME TWO – Saint Anselm 4, Bentley 3
Saint Anselm scored two runs in the bottom of the first thanks to three errors – the Hawks did not record a hit until the next inning where they scored two runs on an O'Hara single through the left side. Bentley made four miscues in the first two innings alone, falling behind by a 4-0 score.
The Hawks left the bases loaded with one out in the home half of the third inning with the help of two hits and yet another Bentley error and could not score.
An RBI groundout by Bentley in the top of the fourth inning cut the Hawks lead to 4-1 before two more Falcons runners came around on a two-out double to left-center field in the top of the sixth.
DiPippo settled down after the two-run double, throwing just 12 pitches in the top of the seventh to retire the side in order. She struck out four batters in game two, conceding just four hits and three earned runs.
