SAINTS SPLIT WITH SHARKS IN C.O.F. SOFTBALL RIVALRY

BOSTON, Mass. – Emmanuel College and Simmons College battled to a split in a local Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball double-header on Wednesday night at Roberto Clemente Field.  The Saints shutout the Sharks, 4-0, in game one, before falling, 5-2, in the nightcap.  The split sets the Saints at 10-4 on the season and 5-1 in GNAC action, while the Sharks move to 6-7 overall and 3-1 in the league.

Game 1:

Emmanuel opened up the action with a lead-off homer by Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.).  The junior shortstop blasted a bomb deep over the fence in left-centerfield to quickly give the Saints a 1-0 edge.  Emmanuel would hold the one-run lead through the next two innings, before tacking on two more runs in the fourth.

Rookie third-baseman Abby Alexiades (Kingston, Mass.) led off the fourth by reaching on a Shark throwing error.  This week's GNAC Player of the Week, Susie Kieselback (Wethersfield, Conn.), singled to right and stole second, before sophomore right-fielder Erin Walsh (Granby, Conn.) belted a two-RBI single to center field, which brought Emmanuel's lead to 3-0.

Davis singled to left center in the fifth, for her second hit of the night, and was driven in by Alexiades for the Saints' fourth and final run of the contest.

Sophomore hurler Jill Kilcoyne (Worcester, Mass.) came away with an interesting and unusual stat line.  The nation's third-leader in strikeouts walked 14 batters and hit two, but fanned 12 Sharks and gave up just one hit, which came with two outs in the top of the seventh.  Kilcoyne went the distance in the circle, earning her sixth win of the season to improve to 6-1 on the year.

The Saints played tough defensively and Emmanuel was able to get out two bases-loaded situations, including one in the top of the seventh to preserve the win.  The Sharks left 15 runners on base.

GNAC Rookie of the Week Juliet Nelson (Cumberland, R.I.) accounted for Simmons' only hit of the night, a single up the middle in the top of the seventh.

Senior pitcher Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) took the loss in the circle for the Sharks, dropping to 4-2 on the year.  Backhaus struck out five without a walk and gave up two earned runs in the six-inning effort for Simmons.

Game 2:

Davis doubled to centerfield to open up game two for the Saints.  Junior second-baseman Kerrianne Vulpis (East Rockaway, N.Y.) then ripped single to short, which was knocked down by a diving Hannah Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.), giving the hosts first and second.  Alexiades reached on a walk to load the bases, but Simmons got out of the inning on a double play at the plate and kept the game scoreless after one.

The Sharks opened up the scoring in the second, capitalizing on a hit from Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) and a pair of Emmanuel errors, to take a 1-0 lead.  Simmons then got a solo shot from Heather White (Westfield, Mass.) in the top of the third to make it a 2-0 game.

The Saints got on the board in the bottom of the third, following singles by Alexiades and Samantha Adams (Sanford, Me.).  A first and third attempted steal situation allowed for Brooke Ames (Boylston, Mass.), who was pinch running for Alexiades, to steal home and cut the Saints deficit to 2-1.

Emmanuel tied things up in the fifth, when Alexiades smashed an RBI single to right, which scored Vulpis, who had also reached on a single up the right side.

The Sharks snagged the winning run in the sixth, when Mikaela Caracciolo (North Attleboro, Mass.) drove in Rastello.  The visitors picked up two insurance runs in the seventh, capitalizing on a two-RBI hit from Jess Uschmann (Feeding Hills, Mass.), which drove in Backhaus and Nelson.

With the Sharks up 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, the Saints took to the plate for their final at-bat. Simmons sent two EC batters down quickly and faced Davis at the plate with two outs, when the lights at Clemente shut down for the night.  The umpires ruled the contest complete and Simmons took the 5-2 win in the nightcap.

Nelson earned the win in the circle for Simmons, tallying three strikeouts with both the EC runs earned.  Nelson improved to an even 2-2 on the season with the win.

Val Kiers opened the game, pitching the first three innings for Emmanuel and fanning three. Adams relieved Kiers in the circle for the final four innings and took the loss for the Saints, giving up three earned runs.

Simmons is back in action again this Friday, April 3rd, when they travel to Mount Ida College for a GNAC twinbill with start times of 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM.  Emmanuel will play on Saturday, April 4th, in a GNAC double-header at Johnson & Wales University, starting at noon.