NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Saint Anselm College softball team picked up two more victories on Sunday, heading back to the Granite State with a 5-1 overall record.

The Hawks defeated Mercy (N.Y.) by a 6-1 margin in the opener before holding on for a 3-1 victory on their final day in South Carolina. Saint Anselm won its first three games of the season before dropping its only game to date against Molloy on Saturday.

Senior Jess Persechino (Torrington, Conn.) was the offensive star of the day for Saint Anselm, collecting five hits in seven at-bats while adding a triple and her first collegiate home run in the opener. Junior Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) also drove in a pair of runs with a home run.

Saint Anselm heads to Clermont, Fla. for The Spring Games starting Friday, Mar. 3. The Hawks open against Bridgeport at 9 a.m.

GAME ONE – Saint Anselm 6, Mercy (N.Y.) 1

O'Hara's two-run bomb in the top of the first inning proved to be all the offense necessary in the day's first game. The Hawks added an RBI single by senior Kate Irwin (Milford, Mass.) in the second before Persechino's solo home run was swatted in the fourth.

The Mavericks scored their lone run of the game on a run-down play near second base – the Hawks were able to tag out the batter, who reached first on an infield hit, but the other baserunner scored on the play.

Sophomore Alyssa Wironen (Leominster, Mass.) slugged a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, rounding out the scoring – Saint Anselm smacked a season-high three home runs in the game and Wironen was 3-for-4 in the game.

Sophomore Lauren Lejano (Cerritos, Calif.) collected her first collegiate hit, entering the game late and delivering the base knock.

Junior Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) pitched seven strong innings, allowing just the one run and striking out 10 batters.

GAME TWO – Saint Anselm 3, Mercy (N.Y.) 1

Mercy scored its first run of the game on an error in the top of the first inning, but Saint Anselm drew the game even in the third on a wild pitch.

With the score tied at one into the fifth inning, sophomore Ava Caputo (Waterford, N.Y.) hit a deep triple to left field that scored Persechino. The Hawks collected a single to right field off the bat of O'Hara, plating Caputo for the game's third and final run.

Persechino was 3-for-3 against the Mavericks, scoring two runs from the No. 9 spot in the batting order.

Sophomore Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) pitched well, giving up just one unearned run and conceding only four hits to Mercy.