LATE INNING HEROICS LIFT SOFTBALL TO GNAC SWEEP OVER JWU

The Basics

Score:
GM 1 - Emmanuel College, 8; Johnson & Wales University, 2
GM 2 - Emmanuel College, 12; Johnson & Wales University, 10 (8 inn.)

Records: Emmanuel College Saints, 22-12, 13-1 GNAC; Johnson & Wales University Wildcats, 18-18, 9-5 GNAC

Location: Providence, R.I. – Scotts Miracle Gro Field

Date: Saturday, April 27, 2019

The Lead – After posting an 8-2 victory in Game 1, the Emmanuel College softball team rallied for a 12-10 extra inning win in Game 2 to sweep Johnson & Wales University in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Scotts Miracle Gro Field.

How it Happened

Game 1

• The Saints jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back as junior second baseman Kerry Sendrick (Medway, Mass.) got the scoring started with a two-RBI double to left to give EC a 2-0 lead. Junior right fielder Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (Cambridge, Mass.) made it 3-0 with an RBI infield single before junior centerfielder Sarah Hoisl (West Hartford, Conn.) drew a walk with the bases loaded to account for the 4-0 score in the first.
• Emmanuel added to its lead in the second as freshman third baseman Renae Lacroix (Cumberland, R.I.) scored on a wild pitch before senior Ashley Skey (Brookline, N.H.) drove in the sixth run of the afternoon with an RBI single through the left side to account for a 6-0 score through two.
• The Wildcats got one back in the third with an unearned run on a sac-fly to center by Brenna DuPerry to make it 6-1.
• In the fourth, Summer Ramundo blasted a solo homer to left to pull Johnson & Wales to within four at 6-2.
• EC took advantage of two more JWU wild pitches in both the fifth and seventh innings that allowed Ramirez-Tejeda and Sendrick to score to bump the lead to 8-2.
• Senior pitcher Megan Kieselback (Wethersfield, Conn.) made the lead stand up, working a perfect seventh inning to earn the complete-game win and improve to 10-5 on the year and 9-0 in the circle since March 31.

Game 2

• Ramirez-Tejeda clobbered a one-out grand slam in the seventh inning to tie the game at 9-9 and force extra innings before Sendrick hit what proved to be a game-winning  three-run blast in the eighth.
• JWU would send the tying runner to the plate in the bottom half of the eighth but sophomore pitcher Mikayla Montemagni (Chicopee, Mass.) was up to the task to retire the side to preserve a 12-10 victory.
• Johnson & Wales flipped the script on the Saints in the nightcap, taking an early 6-0 lead with six runs in the first inning. Meghan Gavin got the scoring started with an RBI double to center before Ally Mishol blasted a two-run shot to make it 3-0. Devin Scales drove in the fourth JWU run and then Megan Antaya delivered a two-RBI double to account for the 6-0 score.
• Lacroix got EC on the board in the third with an RBI single to centerfield to make it 6-1 but the Wildcats responded with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning on a two-RBI double by Antaya to move the score to 8-1.
• The squads traded solo homers in the fifth inning as EC freshman Grace Orcutt (Lexington, Mass.) hammered her seventh shot of the year before Scales answered with a solo shot to center to account for a 9-2 score.
• Ramirez-Tejeda got into the home run action, drilling a two-run shot to pull the Saints to within a 9-4 score in the sixth. Emmanuel added one more run in the inning to make it 9-5 heading into the final frame.
• Montemagni worked  7 and a third innings in relief to earn the win, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out three to improve to 5-3

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• The sweep over the Wildcats marks the first time the Saints have won two vs JWU during the regular season since 2016.
• Emmanuel blasted four home runs in Game 2 and now has 34 on the year to lead the GNAC and ranks eighth among D-III programs averaging 1.00 home runs per game.
• Emmanuel improves to 13-1 in GNAC play and can clinch the Number 1 seed in the GNAC North Division with one more GNAC North victory or a loss by Suffolk University in one of their four remaining Divisional games.

UP NEXT

• The Saints are back tomorrow morning for their final regular-season games at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM on the road versus Anna Maria College.
• Johnson & Wales also plays a GNAC twinbill tomorrow, traveling to Boston, Mass. to take on Suffolk University at 12:00 and 2:00 PM.