PREVIEW: Softball takes on Stonehill in Saturday's NE10 doubleheader

4/15/2022 11:15:00 AM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College softball team faces off against Stonehill in a key Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 16 starting at 11 a.m..

Saint Anselm has won 11 of its last 12 games, improving to 18-11 and to 11-3 versus NE10 opponents. The only loss in that streak was a narrow 1-0 defeat versus Southern New Hampshire where an unearned run came around to score the game's lone run.

Stonehill brings a 9-15 overall record to the Hilltop along with a 1-5 record in road games. The Skyhawks had won four games in a row before dropping a 3-1 game to Assumption in game two of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Greyhounds.

Saturday's doubleheader marks the final NE10 regular-season games between Saint Anselm and Stonehill. It was announced on Tuesday, Apr. 5 that the Skyhawks will begin competition in the Northeast Conference (NCAA Division I) beginning in the Fall of 2022.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM

Across the last 12 games, Saint Anselm has logged an 11-1 overall record thanks to three batters hitting a .359 average or better. Senior Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) is leading the way with a .382 average in that span with seven of her 13 hits going for extra bases.
Junior Kate Irwin (Milford, Mass.) has 11 hits in 30 at-bats, swiping six bases and playing errorless defense in the outfield in those 12 contests. Sophomore Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) is hitting .359 in her last 12 games, matching Klaiber for the team lead with 14 runs batted in.
In her last eight games, sophomore pitcher Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) is 7-0 with 42 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. She has not allowed an earned run in each of her last four appearances, including three starts – she has struck out 13 batters in her last three games, giving up just nine hits in 20 innings of work.
The last pitcher with a similar streak was Morgan Perry '21, the Schutt Sports/NFCA Pitcher of the Year for all of NCAA Division II last season, who did not concede a single run across eight appearances from Apr. 18, 2021 through May 9, 2021.
Freshman Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) has limited opponents to just 13 earned runs in her last 33.1 innings, racking up a 4-1 record – the one loss came in the 1-0 game against Southern New Hampshire as an unearned run came across to score.
Saint Anselm has struck out just four times in the last four games in total, scoring a total of 28 runs in those contests.
The Hawks are coached by Jill Gagnon, in her ninth season – she is the winningest Head Coach in team history, owning a 232-115-1 (.668) record since assuming the reins of the team in 2014. She has helped Saint Anselm to an appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship series in 2018 and two East Region titles (2018, 2021) and a runner-up finish at the regionals (2019).

SCOUTING STONEHILL

Stonehill has rebounded after losing 11 of 12 games near the start of the season, taking wins in four of its last five games entering play against Saint Anselm this weekend.
Sophomore Alexandra Hammond is the team's leader in batting average, hitting .367 coming into the weekend at Saint Anselm. She has slugged a team-best three home runs and has driven in seven runs on the season.
Freshman Chloe Kelly is batting .352 in her debut campaign for Stonehill, stroking four doubles and swiping three bases. She had a four-hit game last time out against Assumption, the first of her career.
Freshman Skylar Brandemarte is her team's ace, racking up seven victories while pitching 91 innings with 63 strikeouts. Junior Kelly Mayette has thrown 57-plus innings for the Skyhawks, logging a 4.15 earned-run average in 11 starts (12 apperances).
Emily Nardelli has laid down 0.33 sacrifice bunts per game, ranking second in the country while leading the NE10 in that metric.
Stonehill is coached by Ali Maloof, a 2015 graduate of Southern New Hampshire, in her first season. She was a long-time assistant for Deb Robitaille at Southern New Hampshire, helping the Penmen to a 132-64 (.674) overall record in her four years with the program.

ALL-TIME vs. STONEHILL

The Hawks trail the all-time series against Stonehill by a 44-43 margin.
Saint Anselm has won 12 of the last 13 games against the Skyhawks dating back to Apr. 28, 2017 – the one loss came in extra innings on Mar. 31, 2019 at the South Athletic Fields.
Three of the last four wins for the Hawks came via run-rule and the games were decided by a commanding 35-1 margin.

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