Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. – The Saint Anselm College softball team split results in Sunday's doubleheader by earning a win and a loss on the final day of the Spring Games. The Hawks started the morning with their largest win of the season, a 9-1 victory over Mary, but followed that up with a hard-fought 5-1 defeat against nationally-ranked #6 Wilmington (Del.).
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After 12 days off, Saint Anselm will travel to Melbourne, Florida, for the Space Coast Games. The Hawks will play 10 games over a six-day span, starting on Friday, March 14th, with games against Minnesota Crookston and Ursuline.
GAME 1
Score: Saint Anselm 9, Mary 1 (5 inn.)
Win: Ryan (3-0) | Loss: Altenhof (2-2)
Records: Saint Anselm (3-2), Mary (6-12)
Location: Clermont, Fla. (Legends Way Complex)
Date: Sunday, March 2nd, 2025
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1):
- Saint Anselm got off to a quick start with five walks in the first inning, leading to a pair of runs. Seniors Audrey Arsenault (Stow, Mass.) and Alyssa Wironen (Leominster, Mass.) were the run scorers, while sophomores Sam Ryan (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Katie Tournas (Fairfield, Conn.) each picked up an RBI.
- Mary was able to get a run back in the bottom half of the inning as Sariah Perez scored from second on a single by Ariana Retuta.
- The Hawks responded in the next inning when senior Sam Wiberg (Exeter, N.H.) singled and got caught in a pickle between first and second. While she was eventually tagged out, the chaos allowed Arsenault to cross the plate for the team's third run and her second run of the game.
- The next action occurred in the top of the fourth inning when sophomore Sarah Cipriani (Woodbury, Conn.) doubled to lead off the inning for Saint Anselm. A sacrifice bunt, a walk, and a steal led to two runners moving into scoring position. Junior Rose Reitmeyer (Oxford, Conn.) then laid down another sacrifice bunt for the Hawks, but an error on the throw resulted in both Cipriani and Arsenault crossing home plate.
- Wironen singled a batter later to bring Reitmeyer home, giving Saint Anselm a commanding 6-1 lead.
- The offense continued in the fifth when Tournas led off with a single and Cipriani drove her in with her second double. Reitmeyer also doubled, scoring Cipriani from second to make it 8-1. In the same inning, Wiberg got back in on the action and singled home Reitmeyer to make it an eight-run game.
- With Saint Anselm leading 9-1, Ryan was able to get three outs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game early due to the run-ahead rule.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 1):
- Arsenault reached base three times in the game and came around to score all three times, which was the most times she has scored in a single game. She also recorded a career-high four stolen bases, including steals of both second and third base in the first inning.
- Cipriani hit two doubles in the effort. They were her first career extra-base hits and it also marked the first multi-hit game in her career.
- Wiberg reached base all four times she came to bat, totaling three singles and a walk. She was also aggressive on the base paths with a pair of steals.
- Ryan picked up the win for the Hawks after pitching all five innings while allowing only six hits and one run. It was her third complete-game win of the season and her second in as many days.
- This marked the sixth meeting between the two programs and the first win of the series for Saint Anselm. The eight-run victory was the largest win by either team since Mary won in March of 2014 by a final score of 12-1.
- This was the largest margin of victory for the Hawks this season and the first win by eight or more runs for Saint Anselm since an 11-2 win over American International last April.
GAME 2
Score: Saint Anselm 1, #6 Wilmington 5
Win: Sickle (2-0) |
Loss: Lee (0-1)
Records: Saint Anselm (3-3), #6 Wilmington (6-4)
Location: Clermont, Fla. (Legends Way Complex)
Date: Sunday, March 2nd, 2025
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2):
- After a hitless first inning, Wilmington got the first hit of the game when Eve Serrato drove a ball to left field for Wilmington. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and then came around to score on the second hit of the game by Kasey Xenidis, which made it a 1-0 game.
- In the pitching circle for Saint Anselm was sophomore Kendra Lee (Endicott, N.Y.), who started to shut down the Wildcat hitters. She allowed only one hit over the next three innings to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
- In that inning, sophomore Brooke Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Arsenault. Tardugno came around to score two batters later on a game-tying double by Reitmeyer. The game remained tied going into the final two innings.
- After a hitless sixth inning, Wilmington quickly regained the lead in the final frame, starting with an RBI double by Tristyn Stewart. This was the first of three consecutive doubles as Cassidy Zelano and Haley Grygo followed with two more, leading to three more runs in the inning for the Wildcats. When the dust settled, Wilmington found themselves with a 5-1 advantage.
- Saint Anselm was able to get runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh, but they were unable to plate a run and suffered the loss by that same 5-1 margin.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 2):
- Lee pitched 6.1 innings and surrendered six hits and five earned runs. She held the Wildcats to just three hits and one run in her first six innings of work.
- Wiberg finished the game with three hits in four at-bats, the most by any player in the game. It was her first three-hit game of the season and the seventh of her career.
- Saint Anselm generated seven hits and five walks, but left 10 players on base. All four extra-base hits between the two sides came in the last three innings of the contest.
- This was the eighth all-time meeting between these two programs, with Wilmington moving to 6-2 overall in the series that began in 2005. The win today marked the third consecutive victory for the Wildcats over the Hawks. It was also the first meeting between these two teams since 2019. Saint Anselm last defeated Wilmington in March of 2012.
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