GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Saint Anselm College softball team advanced to the Semifinal Round of the Northeast-10 Conference Softball Championship with a 2-1 win over the eighth-seed Southern New Hampshire University on Thursday from the campus of Adelphi University.

With the win, the Hawks improve to 26-14-1 on the season while the Penmen fall to 20-22 overall. Saint Anselm will meet the hosts and the top-seed Adelphi on Friday, May 5 with the first pitch slated for 12 p.m. from the Janet L. Ficke Field.

Sophomore Ava Caputo (Waterford, N.Y.) registered a game-high three hits while junior Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and senior Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) registered two hits apiece.

Junior Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) picked up her 16th win of the season on Thursday after allowing six hits and one run in a complete game effort. The junior fanned eight batters in the contest.

Prior to the first pitch, Caputo collected the league's prestigious Elite 24 award. The award is given to the student-athlete at the championship site with the highest grade-point average. Caputo is the third Saint Anselm student-athlete to receive the distinction and the second in the 2022-23 academic year.

Saint Anselm extended its lead to three at 20-17 in the Queen City Cup standings following the win.

After the Penmen put a pair of runners on base with two outs, Hicks managed to get a fly out to strand the pair of runners in the top of the first.

The Hawks would push across two runs in the bottom half of the frame. Caputo led off with a single before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Stephanie Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.). A single from O'Hara put runners on the corner which allowed Fitzpatrick to bring home the first run of the contest on a double to right center field. The Hawks would add a second run on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Sam Wiberg (Exeter, N.H.).

The Penmen put a pair of runners on base again in the third inning with two outs but a fielder's choice got Hicks and the Hawks back in the dugout unscathed.

Saint Anselm loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with one out but a fielder's choice and a ground out stranded three runners and kept the score at 2-0 in favor of Saint Anselm.

Southern New Hampshire would cross the plate in the top of the fifth inning. A pair of singles put runners on the corners and a base hit from Alyssa DiMauro would score Abby Hagerty who pinch ran for Gianna LaSpina who led off the frame with a single. Hicks managed to limit the damage and she got a fielder's choice and pop out to end the inning.

The Hawks again loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth but a strikeout would strand all three runners as the teams headed to the seventh inning with Saint Anselm in front, 2-1.

The Penmen did get a baserunner in the top of the seventh on a fielding error but Hicks rolled a ground ball to close the game and advance Saint Anselm into the Semifinal Round of the NE10 Softball Championship.