Softball Splits Wednesday Doubleheader With Suffolk, Claims 5-1 Win in Game One

BOSTON – Emmanuel softball split a non-conference doubleheader against the Suffolk University Rams on Wednesday evening at Clemente Field, winning game one, 5-1, before dropping game two in extra innings, 6-4.

Game One: Emmanuel 5 – Suffolk 1

The opening game featured an early pitchers duel between Rams junior Ashlyn Conley (Mansfield, Mass.) and Saints junior Madison Marks (Edgewater Park, N.J.).

Conley held the Saints off the board until the bottom of the third with junior Taylor Chelak (Westborough, Mass.) hitting an RBI double to right field, scoring first-year Mia Fernandes (Taunton, Mass.), giving the Saints a 1-0 lead.

As for Marks, she kept the Rams hitless until the fourth, retiring the first nine batters of the game until a Jolie Quintana (Lynn, Mass.) single ended the perfect three innings. One batter later, sophomore Catherine Carignan (Litchfield, N.H.) knocked an RBI double to center field, scoring Quintana to tie the game at 1-1.

The Saints retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on a Rams outfield error, a play that scored first-year Madeline Parrish (Andover, Mass.), restoring the one-run lead.

Emmanuel increased the lead in the fifth, starting the inning with back-to-back walks. Conley would see her last batter of the day after Saints senior Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) hit an RBI double, deep into the right-center field gap, boosting the lead to 4-1. Conti A two-run single later in the inning for junior Sammy Hayes (Braintree, Mass.), lifted the Saints to a 5-1 lead.

That lead would hold through the final two innings as the Saints recorded consecutive 1-2-3 innings, taking game one, 5-1.

Hayes finished 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and two RBI. Chelak and Conti both finished with a double and one RBI each. Marks pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits, improving to 5-4 in the win.

Quintana, Carignan, and first-year Julia Mills (Westborough, Mass.) all batted 1-for-3 with Carignan recording the only extra-base hit. Conley went 4.0+ innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits, falling to 0-2 in the process.

Game Two: Suffolk 6 – Emmanuel 4 (Final/8)

Game two required extra innings before deciding a winner with the Rams taking advantage of some eighth innings Saints miscues to earn a Wednesday night, doubleheader split.

Tied 2-2 entering extra innings and after a strikeout to start the inning, one of three Saints errors in the frame put runners on the corners. After a steal of second base put two Rams in scoring position, a two-run double for sophomore Lily Newhall (Lynn, Mass.) put Suffolk up 4-2.

Newhall scored later in the inning on an RBI single by sophomore Maddie Southers (Mystic, Conn.), giving Suffolk a 5-2 edge. Two wild pitches moved Southers to third as she scored after a Saints infield throwing error, boosting the Suffolk lead to 6-2.

The top of the eighth could have continued on with more runs, but the Rams offense stalled with two on in scoring position after back-to-back groundouts ended the inning.

In the Saints half of the eighth, Conti answered immediately, taking a first-pitch swing and knocking a double to center field, cutting the deficit to 6-3.

After a groundout moved Conti to third, first-year Alexis Martineau (Merrimack, N.H.) knocked in Conti with an RBI single to center field, getting the Saints within two, 6-4.

But on the play, Martineau tried to take an extra base after a bobble by the center fielder, but an accurate throw to second base resulted in Martineau being tagged out for the second out of the inning.

After a walk sent the game-tying run to the plate with two outs, Fernandes hit a ball to deep center field, but the outfield of the Rams made a routine catch, ending the Saints comeback with Suffolk claiming a 6-4 win.

The Saints led out of the gates in the bottom of the first following an RBI single by junior Abigail Farr (Windsor Locks, Conn.) that gave Emmanuel a 1-0 lead.

It wasn't until the fifth that the Rams had their first lead of the evening, tying the game on a solo home run by Quintana before taking a 2-1 lead later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Carignan.

Emmanuel managed to force extra innings after a two-out wild pitch allowed Conti to score from third, tying the game at 2-2.

Quintana and Newhall both finished 2-for-3 in game two with Quintana hitting her first home run of the season in the fifth. First-year pitcher Cynthia Rucinski (Milltown, N.J.) went all eight innings, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out a career-high nine batters and improving to 4-5 with the win.

Conti and Farr each batted 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Conti added a pair of runs scored in the loss. Marks came in relief in the fifth inning and pitched another 3.1 innings, allowing four runs, just one earned, but takes credit for the loss to fall to 5-5.

The Saints (8-10, 2-0 GNAC) return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference play this weekend, starting with a Saturday trip to Rivier for games at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., before coming home for a Sunday doubleheader with Elms, starting at 11:00 a.m.