WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The Saint Anselm College softball team extended its winning streak to six games on Friday, taking two games from the University of New Haven in Northeast-10 Conference play.
Winning game one by an 8-0 margin in five innings, Saint Anselm locked down a 7-1 come-from-behind victory over the Chargers in game two to improve to 26-13 overall on the year. The Hawks own a 19-5 record against NE10 opponents and currently rank second in the league standings.
Saint Anselm pitchers Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) and Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) did not concede an earned run on the day as both pitchers allowed just five hits each in their respective starts. In a game two win, DiPippo struck out a career-high 14 batters.
Freshman Stephanie Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) was four-for-six across the two games, smacking two doubles and stealing a base. Senior Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) picked up three hits and drove in four runs, hitting a two-run home run in the opening contest.
Klaiber has now hit 17 home runs during her time at Saint Anselm, tying Amy Parece '00 for sixth place on the all-time list. She has now hit 25 home runs between her time at LIU Post (2018-19) and Saint Anselm, a figure that would be the all-time team record on the Hilltop (24, Nicole Boucher '14, 2011-14).
Saint Anselm concludes the regular season on Saturday, Apr. 30, taking on Southern Connecticut State in an NE10 doubleheader that begins at noon.
GAME ONE – Saint Anselm 8, New Haven 0 (5 inn.)
Saint Anselm pushed across three runs in the top of the second inning, using an RBI single from junior Kylee Royer (Blackshear, Ga.) that extended her hitting streak to six games. The second run of the inning came on an error and freshman Audrey Arsenault (Stow, Mass.) drove in the third run on an RBI double.
Klaiber and Tardugno added RBI singles in the top of the third, upping the lead to 5-0, before junior Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) singled through the left side in the fourth inning to drive in yet another run. Klaiber's two-run shot drove in Fitzpatrick to create the final 8-0 score.
Hicks kept the game close in the bottom of the third inning, striking out the inning's final batter with the bases loaded to eliminate the threat. She finished with just five hits allowed, striking out two batters for the Hawks.
GAME TWO – Saint Anselm 7, New Haven 1
Saint Anselm had just one baserunner through the first three-and-a-half innings but New Haven was unable to take advantage, leaving two runners on in the bottom of the first – DiPippo got out of trouble with a clutch strikeout to end the stanza.
An unearned run scored for New Haven in the bottom of the fourth as a miscue in the Hawks outfield ultimately came around to score.
The Hawks went ahead for good in the top of the fifth inning, doing all of the damage with two outs. Tardugno doubled before Arsenault reached on an error by the New Haven infield. Back-to-back RBI singles by freshman Julia Howse (North Reading, Mass.) and junior Kate Irwin (Milford, Mass.) created a 2-1 lead.
New Haven left two runners on in the bottom of the inning as DiPippo cruised from there, striking out three batters to get out of the jam.
More two-out damage in the top of the sixth inning scored three runs for Saint Anselm. Sophomore Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) singled before Royer drove her in with a double to left field. Tardugno hit an RBI double to left, scoring Royer, and then Arsenault singled to center, scoring Tardugno to increase the lead to 5-0.
Two more runs came around to score in the top of the seventh for Saint Anselm, who locked down a six-run victory.
DiPippo's previous high for strikeouts in a game was six and she shattered that mark against the Chargers, fanning 14 batters while throwing 112 pitches.
