MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College softball team sent their senior class off on a high note on Saturday afternoon with a pair of wins against American International (AIC) on Senior Day. The Hawks defeated the Yellow Jackets in game one, 9-1, after only five innings before securing a tight 3-1 victory in game two. The day was highlighted by sophomore Jamie Calkins (Charlton, Mass.) hitting her first career home run, which happened to be a grand slam, in the first game.
UP NEXT:
- On Tuesday, April 22nd, Saint Anselm will resume its game against Southern Connecticut State, which was halted on Tuesday due to weather with the Hawks holding a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning. The game will be played at Southern New Hampshire and is set to start at 6:15 p.m.
GAME 1
Score: Saint Anselm 9, AIC 1 (5 inn.)
Win: Ryan (13-4) |
Loss: Krijgsman (5-5)
Records: Saint Anselm (20-11, 9-5 NE10), AIC (9-18, 4-11 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (South Athletic Fields)
Date: Saturday, April 19th, 2025
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1):
- AIC got on the board first in the top of the third inning. A double by Destiny McGrath scored Lauryn Ramalho for the game's opening run.
- Saint Anselm answered quickly in the bottom half of the third. Senior Audrey Arsenault (Stow, Mass.) led off with a single, stole second, and came around to score on a single by junior Rose Reitmeyer (Oxford, Conn.).
- One batter later, senior Alyssa Wironen (Leominster, Mass.) launched a two-run homer to center field, giving the Hawks a 3-1 lead.
- The offense erupted again in the fifth, and the game did not go any further. After the Hawks loaded the bases via two walks and a hit-by-pitch, Calkins stepped up and delivered her first career home run — a grand slam — that blew the game open and made it 7-1.
- Saint Anselm was not done yet as the next four batters drew walks, including one by Reitmeyer that brought in another run. Junior Lily Mason (Derry, N.H.) followed with yet another bases-loaded walk, pushing the lead to 9-1 and ending the game early via the run rule after five innings.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 1):
- Saint Anselm scored nine runs on eight hits and nine walks while leaving six runners on base. They had a clean game in the field with no errors.
- American International scored one run on two hits and committed one error in the field. They left six base runners stranded.
- Sophomore Sam Ryan (Tewksbury, Mass.) earned the win in the pitching circle. She went the distance with five strong innings of work, allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out three.
- Calkins made the most of her bases-loaded opportunity, launching her first career home run — a grand slam — to tie Reitmeyer for the most RBI in a single game this season with four.
- Sophomore Brooke Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.) showed off her wheels yet again with three stolen bases, marking her sixth multi-steal game of the season.
- It was a full team effort offensively for the Hawks, with eight different players scoring runs and four different Hawks driving in at least one. Reitmeyer and Wironen had two RBIs apiece for the Hawks in the win.
- This marked the 33rd all-time meeting between Saint Anselm and AIC, with the Hawks improving to 18-15 in the series. The win was the Hawks' 11th straight — and their second-largest margin of victory in series history.
GAME 2
Score: Saint Anselm 3, AIC 1
Win: DiPippo (3-4) | Loss: Lambert (1-9) | Save: Lee (1)
Records: Saint Anselm (21-11, 10-5 NE10), AIC (9-19, 4-12 NE10)
Location: Manchester, NH (South Athletic Fields)
Date: Saturday, April 19th, 2025
Attendance: 188
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2):
- After three scoreless innings to open the game, Saint Anselm broke through in the bottom of the fourth thanks to some aggressive baserunning. A double steal allowed Calkins to swipe home, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
- The Hawks added two more runs in the fifth. Arsenault led off with a double before Reitmeyer smashed a two-run homer to center, her fifth of the season, to stretch the lead to 3-0.
- AIC got on the board in the sixth via a wild pitch that scored Nevaeh Trejo.
- Sophomore Kendra Lee (Endicott, N.Y.) shut the door from there with a clean 1-2-3 seventh inning to earn her first save of the season and seal a 3-1 win for the Hawks.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 2):
- Saint Anselm scored three runs on nine hits and three walks while leaving seven runners on base.
- AIC scored one run on three hits and three walks while leaving six runners stranded.
- Senior Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) started in the pitching circle for the Hawks and picked up the win, going five innings and allowing just three hits and one earned run.
- Lee came on in relief for the Hawks and recorded two perfect innings of work, retiring all six batters she faced.
- Calkins went 2-3 at the plate with two doubles. She also stole a base and scored a run.
- Tardugno had two hits and swiped her 29th base of the season — the most in the NE10 and four more than the next closest player. She is now just three steals shy of tying the program's single-season stolen base record.
- Reitmeyer added two more RBI to her season total (29), keeping her at fourth in the NE10 and atop the Hawks' leaderboard. She also hit her fifth home run of the year, which is tied for second-most in the conference.
- This marked the 34th all-time meeting between Saint Anselm and AIC, with the Hawks improving to 19-15 in the series. The win also extended their win streak to 12 straight over the Yellow Jackets — a run that began with a 3-0 shutout back in April 2018.
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