LATE RUN NOT ENOUGH FOR VISITING SAINTS
April 5, 2011
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emerson College Lions took a pair a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball games from Emmanuel on Tuesday night in a double-header played under the lights at Rotch Park. Emerson topped Emmanuel, 5-1 and 11-3, despite a couple of late-game rallies by the visiting Saints. The losses dropped the Saints to 6-12 overall and 2-6 in GNAC play, while the Lions improved to 12-8 on the season and remain unbeaten at 8-0 in the league.
The Lions got out in front early in game one, scoring two runs off of two hits in the bottom of the first. An Emerson double to right centerfield in the bottom of the fifth added three more runs to the Lions' total and the hosts led 5-0. The Saints were held hitless through six innings played.
Emmanuel's first and only hit of the contest came in the top of the seventh. Freshman shortstop Sierra Roccaro (Parlin, N.J.) walked and sophomore Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) doubled to centerfield, driving in Roccaro. With no outs in the inning, the Saints appeared to be making a late run, but a pair of strike outs and a ground out to the mound ended the contest with Emerson taking a 5-1 win.
Pitchers Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) and Julia Levins (Uxbridge, Mass.) shared time on the mound for Emmanuel, with Copp suffering the loss after 4 innings pitched. Tuthil earned the win for the Lions, throwing the one-hitter and striking out 13 Saints.
Game two featured another quick two-run lead by Emerson in the first inning. The Lions tacked on more runs in the bottom of the third, when they scored five off of 8 hits, to take a 7-0 lead.
The Saints fired right back in the top of the fourth, as Roccaro reached on an error and Lloid walked. Roccaro advanced to second on a passed ball and third on a wild pitch, before scoring the Saints' first run on another passed ball. Junior centerfielder Chelsey Guselli (Methuen, Mass.) notched one of the Saints' two hits of the game, singling to right and driving in Lloid. Copp would also single to centerfield and Guselli ended up scoring on a wild pitch, as the Saints trailed 7-3.
Four Emerson runs off of 3 hits in the home side of the inning proved to be too much for the visiting Saints. Three Emmanuel strike-outs in the fifth ended the contest early with Emerson topping the Saints, 11-3, in five innings.
Magistro and Murray combined for the two-hitter, striking out 7 Emmanuel batters. Lloid took the loss for the Saints.
Emmanuel will travel to Standish, Maine on Friday afternoon to take on the Monks of Saint Joseph's College in a GNAC double-header beginning at 3:30pm.