NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Saint Anselm College softball team picked up a 1-0 victory in the opener against Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday before a 7-0 loss to the hosts in game two in Northeast-10 Conference play.
Saint Anselm finishes the regular season with a 27-14 overall record and a 20-6 mark against NE10 opponents, earning the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference postseason tournament. The Hawks have now won 20 or more conference games in four of the last full seasons of play.
Adelphi (22-4), the top seed, will host the NE10 Championship Weekend with the Hawks playing an opponent to be determined on Friday, May 6. The Hawks have earned two byes by virtue of the first seed, playing their first game on the second day of competition.
The Hawks scored their lone run of the day in game one as an RBI single by senior Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) drove in pinch runner Jess Persechino (Torrington, Conn.) in the top of the seventh inning. The Saint Anselm offense was stymied throughout the day, leaving 21 runners on base across the NE10 doubleheader.
Sophomore Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) picked up yet another shutout in the circle for Saint Anselm in game one, striking out five while not allowing a walk. She finishes the regular season with 20 victories, ranking second in the NE10 – her 10 shutouts are the second-most in team history for a single season.
Hicks is now one of just three pitchers (Morgan Perry '21, Lisa Petell '99) to record at least 20 wins in a single season for the Hawks.
Drawing a walk in game one, senior Bailey Cain (Wellington, Fla.) set a single-season team record for Saint Anselm with her 28th walk, eclipsing the previous record held by Madison Borrelli '21 – she drew 27 free passes for the Hawks in 2018. She now has 50 for her career, ranking seventh all-time.
GAME ONE – Saint Anselm 1, Southern Connecticut State 0
Southern Connecticut State and Saint Anselm each left the bases loaded through one and a half innings of play, setting the tone for what would be a frustrating game for both offenses.
After leaving the bases loaded in the first inning, Saint Anselm stranded two baserunners in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. In total, the Hawks have left double-digit runners on base in four of the last seven games.
A two-out double by Cain set the stage for Klaiber to plate the game-winning run by singling to right field, scoring the pinch runner Persechino from second base. Hicks responded by shutting down the Owls in the bottom of the seventh for the victory.
GAME TWO – Southern Connecticut State 7, Saint Anselm 0
Just three batters into the bottom of the first, Saint Anselm trailed by a 3-0 score. Back-to-back walks preceded a three-run home run, placing the Hawks in an early hole.
Saint Anselm had at least one baserunner in each inning but could not score, falling behind by a 6-0 margin in the bottom of the fourth with the help of a passed ball and two RBI singles.
A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth drove home the game's seventh run for Southern Connecticut State.
Freshman Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) gave up seven earned runs on six hits with three walks.
Freshman Ava Caputo (Waterford, N.Y.) had two of her team's six hits.
