GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Saint Anselm College softball team, seeded fifth in the NCAA Division II East Region Championship, fell to the No. 4 seeded Wildcats from Caldwell University on Thursday in the opening game of the tournament for both programs.
Down 7-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning with three outs to go, Caldwell (38-15) came roaring back to earn an 8-7 victory over Saint Anselm (28-16). The Hawks will take on the host Panthers from Adelphi University, the top seed, at high noon on Friday – the Hawks need a win to remain in the double-elimination NCAA tournament.
Senior Bailey Cain (Wellington, Fla.) and freshman Stephanie Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) paced the Saint Anselm offense, picking up three hits, while batters five-through-nine in the lineup drove in at least one run on the day. Tardugno matched a career-high with three hits and is hitting .536 (15-for-28) in her last 10 games, leading the team.
Saint Anselm plated a run in the top of the first inning on an RBI triple by Cain, creating some early run support for Hawks pitcher Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.). Caldwell had a two-run double in the home half of the second before the Hawks tied the game on an RBI groundout by junior Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) in the third.
The Hawks forged ahead in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs thanks to RBI hits from Tardugno, freshman Audrey Arsenault (Stow, Mass.) and junior Kate Irwin (Milford, Mass.). Arsenault doubled into right-center field, driving home two runs while Tardugno and Irwin had RBI singles.
Saint Anselm pushed across two more runs, capturing a 7-2 lead in the top of the seventh with RBI singles from junior Kylee Royer (Blackshear, Ga.) and Tardugno.
Caldwell scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh on four hits, an error, and three walks to claim the victory.
Hicks drew the loss, just her fifth of the season, with 138 pitches thrown on the day. Caldwell's Mariah Culver gave up 13 hits to the Hawks and matched Hicks with seven earned runs allowed, picking up the victory.
