EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Saint Anselm College softball team posted a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader sweep of Le Moyne College by 4-1 and 5-2 scores on Saturday.
The Hawks improve to 11-10 overall and 4-2 in the NE10 with the sweep while the Dolphins fall to 9-11 on the season and 1-3 in conference play. Saint Anselm was scheduled to meet the College of Saint Rose on Sunday, Apr. 3 but that doubleheader has been postponed until Tuesday, Apr. 5.
Sophomore
Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) led Saint Anselm in game one going two-for-four at the plate. Junior
Kylee Royer (Blackshear, Ga.) drove in two runs for the Hawks.
Sophomore
Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) posted a career-high nine strikeouts for Saint Anselm in the game one win, improving to 10-2 in 2022. Hicks threw a complete game allowing one run on five hits.
Senior
Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) registered three hits in four at-bats in the game two win. O'Hara, senior
Bailey Cain (Wellington, Fla.), and freshman
Stephanie Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) recorded two hits each for the Hawks with Royer and Klaiber driving in two runs each.
Freshman
Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) earned her first collegiate victory in game two. DiPippo allowed two runs on two hits while striking out six in the complete game win.
GAME ONE: Saint Anselm 4, Le Moyne 1
Le Moyne got runners on first and second with a walk and a single from
Brooke Nicolaos and
Cassidy Barrett but Hicks worked out the of the jam in the bottom of the first with a foul out and a strikeout.
The Dolphins opened the scoring in the bottom of the third as Nicolaos scored on a single by
McKenzie Bergdoll. Nicolaos led off the inning with a hit by pitch before Barrett singled. Both runners advanced on a double steal setting up the RBI single. A pair of strikeouts following the single closed the inning with limited damage and stranded runners on second and third.
The Hawks posted a three-run top of the fourth inning as O'Hara tripled to lead off before Cain plated O'Hara with a single up the middle. Klaiber was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second before both advanced on a passed ball. After a strikeout, Royer would double down the left field line to score both runners and give Saint Anselm a 3-1 lead through the top of the fourth.
Saint Anselm added a run in the top of the fifth as junior
Kate Irwin (Milford, Mass.) singled on a bunt before stealing second and then advancing on a fly out to right field. Irwin would score on a ball put in play by Cain, who reached second on a throwing error.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Hicks would get a strikeout to open the inning before a groundout got the Dolphins to their final out. A single by Nicolaos continued the game but a pop out to shortstop closed the contest with the Hawks grabbing the 4-1 win.
GAME TWO: Saint Anselm 5, Le Moyne 2
The Hawks posted three runs to open the second half of the doubleheader as O'Hara netted a one-out single before a Cain walk. That set up Klaiber who tripled to right field, scoring both runners and giving Saint Anselm a 2-0 lead. Royer would score Klaiber with a sacrifice fly to open a 3-0 advantage.
Le Moyne responded with a run in the bottom of the first inning as
Isabelle Boudreau led off with a walk and reached third on a sacrifice bunt by Nicolaos. Boudreau would come around to score on a groundout by Barrett.
The Dolphins added another run in the bottom of the second when
Victoria Catalano scored on a throwing error, allowing
Makenzie Konik to reach base. However, DiPippo posted a strikeout to close the inning as the Hawks led 3-2 through two innings of play.
Saint Anselm posted a run in the top of the fifth as Cain and Klaiber registered back-to-back singles and walk from Royer loaded the bases. Freshman
Julia Howse (North Reading, Mass.) grounded out which allowed Cain to score, giving the Hawks a 4-2 lead.
The Hawks tacked on another run in the top of the seventh as Royer drove in pinch-runner, junior
Jess Persechino (Torrington, Conn.), who came on after Cain singled.
DiPippo closed the contest with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out as she collected her first collegiate win in the 5-2 victory.
