SAINTS SOFTBALL TAKE TWO FROM GNAC FOE RIVIER

THE BASICS 

Scores:    Emmanuel College, 7; Rivier University 3
               Emmanuel College, 8; Rivier University 0
Records:  Emmanuel College Saints (12-11)
               Rivier University Raiders (8-18)
Location:  Nashua, N.H. – Raiders Field
Date:       Wednesday, April 11, 2018

THE LEAD: The Emmanuel College softball team moved back up the ranks in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference standings on Wednesday evening, taking both games in a conference doubleheader against Rivier University at the Rivier Raiders Field. The Saints took game 1, 7-3, and continued the offensive attack in game 2 for an 8-0 victory. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

GM 1

• The Saints opened the action with an early 2-0 lead in game one as sophomore Sarah Hoisl (West Hartford, Conn.) and junior Audrey Esakoff (Ventura, Calif.) were able to cross the plate on an early passed ball and an RBI single by junior captain Casey Sheehan (Medway, Mass.).
• The Raiders were able to close the lead to one in the bottom of the first frame as Kasey Smith (Hopkinton, N.H.) was able to move around the bases on a leadoff error, 2-1.
• Both teams were held to no runs in the second inning before Emmanuel scored another two in the third as Esakoff and Hoisl both scored again on a RBI fly out by junior Ashley Skey (Brookline, N.H.), 4-1.
• Junior pitcher Megan Kieselback (Wethersfield, Conn.) was able to hold the Raiders off the bases, recording five strikeouts through the four middle innings of the game. 
• In the top of the fourth, Esakoff crossed the plate for the third time after leading off the frame with a double of her own. Olivia Burgos (Newington, Conn.) singled later in the inning to score Esakoff and Skey then doubled to score Burgos, Saints ahead 6-1.
• The Raiders was able to string together another two runs in the sixth, as Taylor Legrand (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Mikayla Ramsdell (Salem, N.H.) both scored on RBIs by teammates Kellie Kennedy (Hudson, N.H.) and Liggett (Litchfield, N.H.) after being walked to get on base. 
• EC tacked on its final run in the seventh on another RBI single from Skey to score Burgos to account for the 7-3 final.
• Junior Kieselback earned the win, tossing a complete game to improve to 5-6 on the year.

GM 2

• Emmanuel started the second game off much like the first, scoring four runs in the first inning. Eskoff started the frame with a leadoff single and was met on the bases by Burgos after being hit with a pitch before Sheehan scored both on an RBI double. Skey then singled to bring up first-year Kaitlin Bouchard (South Portland, Maine) who scored Sheehan with an RBI single. The final run crossed thanks to first-year Meaghan Price's (Corning, N.Y.) single up the middle to score Skey, 4-0.
• Burgos shut out the Raiders offense, not allowing a runner on base until the bottom of the third as Katie Welch (Wilmington, Mass.) singled but was then stranded on base. 
• The Saints tallied another run on the board in the top of the fourth as junior Briana Ong (Coventry, R.I) doubled, stole third, and was driven home on a RBI single by Hoisl, 5-0.
• Emmanuel plated three more runs in the sixth and seventh to take the second game of the doubleheader, 8-0.
• Burgos recorded a complete game shut out, only allowing five hits on the evening to implrove to 6-3 on the year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Esakoff finished the night with five hits, going 5-for-8 on the night and scoring five runs.
• Multiple Saints recorded multiple runs batted in on the night, Burgos with 3, Sheehan with 3 and Skey with 4.
• Sophomore pitcher Taylor Rowsell (Chelmsford, Mass.) suffered the game 1 loss for Rivier falling to 2-5 on the year while first-year Kennedy took the game 2 defeat to fall to 4-9 on the season.

UP NEXT

• Emmanuel returns to action on the road on Saturday, April 14th for a GNAC twinbill at Suffolk University scheduled to start at 12:00 PM in East Boston, Mass.