SOFTBALL DROPS TWO IN SEASON FINALE TO ALBERTUS MAGNUS

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College Softball team dropped a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference games to Albertus Magnus College Monday evening at Roberto Clemente Field. The Falcons captured game one, 3-2, in eight innings before prevailing 6-5 in game two. With the wins, AMC ends its season with a 16-22 (9-15 GNAC) record while the Saints 2013 campaign concludes at 14-24 (5-17 GNAC). Prior to the start of the game, the Emmanuel athletic department honored its two seniors Kelly Lloid and Jackie Murray.

Game 1 Recap
The Falcons got on the board first, scoring two in the top of the second behind two hits. Junior catcher Jamie Vesciglio (Stratford, Conn.) opened the inning with a single and eventually came around to score the game's first run on a wild pitch. An RBI single by freshman third baseman Veronica Hribko (East Haven, Conn.) made it 2-0 later in the inning.

Emmanuel evened the score at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth behind a two-RBI single from junior designated player Jennifer Garrity (Lynn, Mass.). Freshman second baseman Kerianne Vulpis (East Rockaway, N.Y.) and senior right fielder Jackie Murray (Saugus, Mass.) got things started with back-to-back bunt singles before Garrity delivered a one-out rip to right-centerfield to knock in the tying runs.

In the eighth inning, Albertus Magnus went ahead with an unearned run to take the 3-2 lead. With the international tie-breaker runner placed at second in Hribko, sophomore Brittney Urciuoli (Newington, Conn.) laid down a sac bunt to move the runner over but a throwing error allowed for Hribko to come around and score the game-winner.

Hribko and Vesciglio each finished with two hits for the Falcons while EC freshman shortstop Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.) led the Saints with a pair of singles and a walk.

Freshman pitcher Jackie Medina (Bridgewater, Conn.) shut the Saints down in the bottom half of the frame for her 10^th victory of the year. The rookie went the distance allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out two. EC senior Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) suffered the loss, hurling eight innings and allowing three runs (two earned).

Game 2 Recap

Albertus jumped ahead with three runs in the first to take a 3-0 lead in game 2. Hribko led off with a single to center and then later in the inning, back-to-back triples by sophomore Aimee Mirto (Hamden, Conn.) and freshman Isabel Lopez (West Haven, Conn.) made it 2-0. An RBI single by freshman Gilmary Gonzalez (New Britian, Conn.) accounted for the 3-0 cushion.

Davis got the Saints on the board right away with an inside the park homerun down the right field line to make it 3-1. The hit was her fourth homerun of the year, a team-high.

An RBI single by Davis in the second cut the visitors lead to 3-2, plating freshman centerfielder Marianne Halas (Lynn, Mass.) who reached after getting hit by a pitch.

The Falcons put two more on the board in the third to take a 5-2 lead. Both runs were unearned after the Saints made a pair of errors in the frame to aide to the visitor's three-run advantage.

A solo shot to left by freshman third baseman Jenna Marcello (Hopedale, Mass.) got one back for Emmanuel in the bottom of the third to make it 5-3.

Emmanuel threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out. Junior catcher Julia Levins (Uxbridge, Mass.) was able to work a walk to drive in a run to make it 5-4 but the Falcons were able to work their way out of the jam as EC left them loaded trailing 5-4 heading into the sixth. Albertus got the run right back, scoring an unearned insurance run with two outs to make it 6-4.

In the bottom of the sixth, an RBI double by Garrity pulled EC back to within a run heading into the final frame trailing 6-5. Medina pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to preserve her second win of the night for Albertus.