LEESBURG, Fla. – The Saint Anselm College softball team split a pair of games against Saint Michael's in its final non-conference series before the start of Northeast-10 (NE10) play next week. The Purple Knights claimed a game one victory with a four-run sixth inning, while aggressive baserunning propelled the Hawks to a win in game two. In the game two win, sophomore Brooke Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) tied a single-game program record with five stolen bases.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm kicks off NE10 play with a road doubleheader at Bentley on Saturday, March 29th at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. The Hawks will then take on Assumption in another NE10 doubleheader on Sunday, March 30th at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
GAME 1
Score: Saint Anselm 2, Saint Michael's 7
Win: Davidson (1-2) | Loss: Ryan (7-1)
Records: Saint Anselm (10-6), Saint Michael's (5-5-1)
Location: Leesburg, Fla. (Sleepy Hollow #3)
Date: Friday, March 21st, 2025
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1):
- Saint Michael's struck first in the opening inning, scoring on a double by Jenna Devens and a single by Brooke Bishop to take a 2-0 lead.
- Devens added to the lead in the third with a sacrifice fly that brought home Brooke Edgerly, who had tripled earlier in the inning, to make it 3-0.
- Saint Anselm responded in the fourth inning as senior Alyssa Wironen (Leominster, Mass.) delivered a clutch two-run single, scoring seniors Audrey Arsenault (Stow, Mass.) and Stephanie Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) to cut the deficit to one.
- After a scoreless fifth, the Purple Knights broke the game open in the sixth. Maddy Booska tripled and then scored on a wild pitch, and another run scored on a throwing error. Bishop added an RBI single and CJ Davidson drew a bases-loaded walk to cap off a four-run inning that increased their lead to 7-2.
- The Hawks threatened in the bottom half of the fifth and advanced a runner to third base, but they failed to bring them home.
- Saint Anselm was held scoreless in the seventh as Saint Michael's secured a 7-2 win in game one.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 1):
- Saint Michael's scored seven runs on 11 hits and three walks while leaving 10 runners on base. They also committed one error in the field.
- Saint Anselm scored two runs on four hits and two walks while leaving five runners on base. They had three errors in the game.
- Davidson earned the win in the circle, throwing a complete game with no earned runs, four hits allowed, two walks, and four strikeouts.
- Sophomore Sam Ryan (Tewksbury, Mass.) got the start for the Hawks and pitched 5.1 innings. She allowed six earned runs on nine hits to go along with one strikeout and no walks in her first lost of the season.
- All four of Saint Anselm's hits came from different players. Wironen drove in both of the team's runs.
- This marked the 51st meeting between these two programs. Saint Michael's improved to 8-43 in the all-time series. Their victory snapped a 17-game winning streak by Saint Anselm that dated back to April 27th, 2017.
GAME 2
Score: Saint Anselm 5, Saint Michael's 1
Win: Lee (3-3) | Loss: Parker (3-2)
Records: Saint Anselm (11-6), Saint Michael's (5-6-1)
Location: Leesburg, Fla. (Sleepy Hollow #3)
Date: Friday, March 21st, 2025
Attendance: 50
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2):
- Saint Anselm got on the board in the top of the first inning, using aggressive baserunning to take an early lead. Brooke Tardugno got on base with a single and then stole second. Arsenault pushed her to third with a single, and then stole second as well. The throw to second allowed Brooke Tardugno to swipe home from third on a double steal as the Hawks took a 1-0 lead.
- The Hawks extended their lead in the second inning when sophomore Jamie Calkins (Charlton, Mass.) drove in freshman Zaynah Wotkowicz (Hampton Falls, N.H.) with an RBI single. Later in the frame, sophomore Caitlyn Duquette (Bedford, N.H.) came in to score on a sacrifice fly from senior Sam Wiberg (Exeter, N.H.), pushing the Hawks' lead to 3-0.
- Saint Michael's responded in the third, as Davidson singled home Ella Nickerson to cut the deficit to 3-1.
- After three scoreless innings, the Hawks tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Arsenault singled home Brooke Tardugno and later scored on a sacrifive fly by Stephanie Tardugno as Saint Anselm made it 5-1.
- Sophomore Kendra Lee (Endicott, N.Y.) closed out the win with a scoreless seventh inning in the circle and Saint Anselm took game two by a final score of 5-1.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 2):
- Saint Anselm scored five runs on 10 hits and a walk while leaving seven runners on base.
- Saint Michael's scored one run on seven hits and five walks while leaving 11 runners on base. They also committed one error in the field.
- Senior Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) got the start for the Hawks. She pitched three innings and allowed one earned run on four hits while striking out four.
- Lee earned the win for the Hawks after tossing four scoreless innings in relief. She allowed three hits and a walk while also recording one strikeout.
- Wiberg tied the Saint Anselm program record with her ninth career sacrifice fly. She was also the only player to record an extra-base hit in the game, doing so on a double.
- Brooke Tardugno stole five bases in the win, tying the program's single-game record set in 1981 by Kathleen Gallagher '83. She now has 13 steals on the season, ranking second on the team and third in the NE10.
- Arsenault swiped three bases as well and remains perfect on the season with 19 steals on 19 attempts. She leads the team in stolen bases and ranks second in the conference. With 39 career steals, she is just one shy of tying for fourth place all-time in program history.
- Freshman Katie Fox (Dracut, Mass.) also recorded a steal, marking just the sixth time in program history that Saint Anselm has totaled eight or more stolen bases in a single game.
- This marked the 52nd meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm improved to 44-8 in the all-time series.
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