SAINTS WIN IN BOTTOM OF THE 7th ON SENIOR NIGHT

SAINTS WIN IN BOTTOM OF THE 7th ON SENIOR NIGHT

April 20, 2010

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Softball Team bounced back from a 10-3 loss to Pine Manor College in Tuesday night's opening game, to capture a 6-5 win in the bottom of the 7th in the nightcap. The Saints were celebrating senior night, as the seven seniors on the Emmanuel squad were playing in their final collegiate softball games. The split brought the Saints' final 2010 record to 10-21 overall and 6-18 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play. Pine Manor finished the year at 6-25 overall and 6-16 in league play.

Despite the battery in game one, the seven seniors made up the starting line-up for Emmanuel. The Saints started Erin McSheffrey at 1st base, Kristina Borrelli (Kingston, Mass.) at 2nd base, Sarah Palmer-Thompson (Dennis, Mass.) at 3rd base and Danielle Andruskiwec (Orange, Conn.) at short-stop. The seniors surrounded the infield as well, as Deanna Mastrovito (Worcester, Mass.) played left-field. Samantha Luther (Carlisle, Mass.) played center-field and Chelsie Baldwin (Canonsburg, Pa.) started in right-field.

The opening game featured the Saints jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, as Emmanuel notched two runs in the bottom of the first inning. A single by Luther put one runner on for the Saints, before freshman pitcher Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) hit an RBI double. McSheffrey then hit an RBI single, which scored Lloid.

The Gators bounced back in the top of the third, scoring three runs off of four hits. Kayla Nielsen (Saco, Me.) hit an RBI double and then was pushed home by an RBI double by Courtney Wallace (Steep Falls, Me.). Wallace's hit tied the Pine Manor College record for hits in a career (197) and she would easily break the record later in the night. The Gators managed to take a 3-2 lead, when Siobhan Raymond (Winchendon, Mass.) singled, scoring Wallace.

The Saints put one more run on the board off a solo homerun by sophomore catcher Heather Hamel (Belchertown, Mass.) in the bottom of the sixth. This was Hamel's first collegiate homerun.

Pine Manor tacked on two more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. Flavia Vicente (Roxbury, Mass.) and Michelle Campbell (Baltimore, Md.) singled, before they were driven home by Jess Kennedy's (Lakeville, Mass.) double, which brought the spread to 5-2.

A solo homerun by Wallace led off the fifth inning for the Gators and Pine Manor took a 6-3 lead. It was this shot that broke the PMC hit record for Wallace and it was her first of three homeruns on the night. The Gators then put together a four-run seventh inning, which included another homerun by Wallace, and the visitors pulled away with the 10-3 win.

Game two featured a scoreless first inning, before Pine Manor took a one-run lead in the second. Wallace led off with a double and was scored on a single by Raymond. The Saints managed to tie things up in the bottom of the third, when Lloid hit a double, which scored Kristen Landers (Worcester, Mass.), who had reached on an error and the game was knotted at 1-1.

Wallace homered again in the fourth to put PMC up, 2-1. However, the Saints regained the lead in the bottom of the frame. After a walk, a hit batter and a single, Emmanuel had the bases loaded with seniors (McSheffrey, Borrelli and Palmer-Thompson). Sophomore Christina Proulx (Boxborough, Mass.) then hit a two-run single, scoring McSheffrey and Borrelli and Emmanuel held a 3-2 advantage.

The Gators battled back in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs off of three hits and 2 errors, and took a 5-3 lead. The Saints managed one run in the bottom of the sixth, when Proulx hit a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Sophomore Jesse Hutchins (Sebago, Me.) hit a sacrifice fly to right-field, which scored Proulx and the Saints trailed 5-4, heading into the seventh.

Pine Manor went down easily in the top of the seventh inning and the Saints had one final chance to take the win in their last game of the season. With one out, Landers was walked and Jackie Murray (Saugus, Mass.) came in to pinch run. Andruskiwec hit a double and Murray advanced to third. Hamel pinch-ran for Andruskiwec. McSheffrey singled to score Murray for the game-tying run and Hamel moved to second. Borrelli then singled to move Hamel to third. Palmer-Thompson stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded. Hamel bolted home on a wild pitch and scored the game-winning run with the Saints celebrating a 6-5 victory.

The three key hits down the stretch were all made by Emmanuel's seniors. With neither team playing for a play-off spot, the Saints were able to earn a solid victory on senior night and end the 2010 season with a hard-fought come-from-behind win.