SAINTS NIP BLUE JAYS, 5-4
April 16, 2011
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Softball Team picked up a 5-4 come-from-behind win over Saint Joseph College (CT) on Saturday afternoon. The Saints split with the Blue Jays in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) double-header played at Clemente Field, as Saint Joseph took game one, 5-1. Emmanuel now sits at 10-19 overall and 6-12 in GNAC play, while the Blue Jays are 16-14 on the season and 12-6 in the league.
Saint Joseph's senior pitcher Kristin Parente (Burlington, Conn.) threw a one-hitter to open up the action in game one at Clemente. The Blue Jays got on the board quickly, scoring a run in the top of the first off of a double by Susie Waters (Wretham, Mass.). The visitors tacked on two more runs in the top of the second off of hits by Nicole Williams (Middletown, Conn.) and Stephanie Valerio (Wolcott, Conn.).
The Saints managed their first and only run of the contest in the bottom of the third, when freshman Julia Levins (Uxbridge, Mass.) reached first after being hit by a pitch. Levins was moved over by a single from Chelsey Guselli (Methuen, Mass.) and eventually scored, as the Saints trailed, 3-1. Guselli's hit was Emmanuel's only one of the game.
The Blue Jays added to their spread with another run in the fifth and one more in the seventh to pull away with the 5-1 win. Parente picked up the one-hit win, striking out 3 of her 27 batters faced. Junior Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) suffered the loss for Emmanuel, throwing all seven innings and giving up two earned runs.
Game two saw the Blue Jays jump out to another early lead. Saint Joseph scored 3 runs off of 3 hits in their first at-bat. The visitors added one more run in the top of the second, when Williams, Melanie Bush (Bristol, Conn.) and Emily Hummel (Hebron, Conn.) all recorded hits and Saint Joseph led, 4-0.
The Blue Jays carried their four-run lead into the fourth inning. Both, Elyse Turgeon (Dracut, Mass.) and Sierra Roccaro (Parlin, N.J.) singled to give the Saints first and second. Roccaro then scored on a Blue Jay fielding error and Emmanuel trailed, 4-1.
A huge fifth inning for the Saints gave Emmanuel 4 runs off of 3 hits and 2 Saint Joseph errors. Junior 2nd baseman Christina Proulx (Boxborough, Mass.) and Levins got things rolling with singles to open the inning. Both would score on a two-RBI hit by Turgeon and the Saints trailed, 4-3. Guselli, who reached on an infield error, scored the tying run and Turgeon scored the go-ahead run, when Heather Hamel (Belchertown, Mass.) laid down a sacrifice bunt.
Levins held the Blue Jays to just one hit over the next two innings and Emmanuel pulled out the 5-4 victory. Levins picked up her 1st collegiate win, going the distance, while striking out 5 of her 34 batters faced. She gave up 9 hits and 2 earned runs in the win. Hummel took the loss for Saint Joseph, fanning eight.
Emmanuel's double-header versus Norwich University on Sunday afternoon was postponed. The Saints will host Suffolk University in a GNAC double-header on Tuesday night at 6pm. This is Emmanuel's final regular season home double-header.