GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Saint Anselm College softball team became the 2024 Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Softball Champions after defeating the No. 1 seeded Panthers of Adelphi University by a final score of 2-0 on Saturday. The Hawks captured their third-ever conference title in just the past five seasons and earned an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division II Championship. Senior pitcher
Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after pitching three games in three days without allowing a run. As the No. 6 seed, the Hawks become the lowest seed to ever win the NE10 Championship.
NEXT UP:
- Saint Anselm secures their seventh NCAA postseason appearance and will await the 2024 NCAA Division II Selection Show taking place on Monday, May 6 for their first-round match up.
Score: Saint Anselm 2, Adelphi 0
W: Hicks (22-5)
L: Hibbs (19-11)
Records: Saint Anselm 25-22; Adelphi 31-19
Location: Garden City, N.Y. (Jess Ficke Field)
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024
Attendance: 278
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Junior Ava Caputo (Waterbury, N.Y.) opened the championship game with an infield single for the Hawks in the top of the first. Senior Hannah Ramer (Rehoboth, Mass.) followed that up with another single to put two runners on base, but Adelphi's starting pitcher Lindsey Hibbs struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
- Making her fourth consecutive start in the postseason play, Hicks posted her first two punch outs of the day to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard in the bottom of the first.
- Adelphi produced their first hit of the contest with a lead-off double by Faith Camilleri before Angela Lignelli laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Camilleri to third base. Hicks registered a ground out followed by her third strikeout to end the bottom of the second still scoreless.
- After a couple of quiet innings with neither team producing a hit, junior Audrey Arsenault (Stow. Mass.) ripped the ball to left field in the top of the fifth for her first hit of the game.
- In the top of the sixth, senior Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) posted a single with junior Sam Wiberg (Exeter, N.H.) reaching on an error to put runners on the corners, but Hibbs was able to close out the inning with her seventh punch out of the day.
- The game remained deadlocked at 0-0 following the seventh, which forced the championship game into extra innings.
- Freshman Jamie Calkins (Charlton, Mass.) started the top of the eighth with a double to left-center field for the Hawks, shortly followed by a walk from O'Hara. Freshman Brooke Tardugno (Meuthen, Mass.) then checked into the game as a pinch runner at first base for Saint Anselm. Wiberg came up to bat next and smacked a two-run double to left-center field to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.
- Adelphi registered a single in the bottom of the eighth with one out. After Arsenault secured the second out with a fly out to center field, Hicks struck out the final batter to seal Saint Anselm's 2-0 win over Adelphi, allowing the Hawks to be crowned the 2024 NE10 Softball Champions.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm produced two runs off six hits while Adelphi recorded five hits, zero runs, and one error in the championship game.
- The Hawks posted a pair of doubles for two extra-base hits in comparison to the Panthers with just one double on the day. Neither team snagged a stolen base in the contest.
- Wiberg recorded the game-winning two-RBI double after a 1-for-4 performance at the plate. Calkins and Tardugno each registered a run scored for Saint Anselm to lift the Hawks over the Panthers.
- Hicks earns her 22nd win of the season, marking a new career-high for the senior pitcher to aid Saint Anselm to its third-ever NE10 title. She threw all eight innings while not allowing a run after surrendering six hits, posting eight strikeouts, and allowing just one walk on 121 pitches.
- During the trophy ceremony, three Hawks were named to the 2024 All-Championship Team including Hicks, Wiberg, and sophomore Rose Reitmeyer (Oxford, Conn.) for their performance throughout the championship weekend. Caputo was also honored by the league as the Elite 24 Award winner for outstanding performance in the classroom for the second time in her career.
- Saint Anselm has collected its third conference title in the last five seasons and its first since earning back-to-back NE10 championships in 2019 and 2021. The Hawks now own a 3-1 record against the Panthers in the championship game.
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