Long Tosses Perfect Game In Softball Sweep Over Anna Maria

THE BASICS 

Score:             
GM 1 – Anna Maria College 0; Emmanuel College, 8 (5 inn.)
GM 2 – Anna Maria College 0; Emmanuel College, 7
Records:         
Emmanuel College Saints (11-3, 4-0 GNAC)
Anna Maria College (3-13, 0-8 GNAC)
Location:         
Boston, Mass. – Roberto Clemente Field
Date:               
Saturday, April 17, 2021

THE LEAD:  Senior Megan Long (Greenville, R.I.) tossed a perfect game to highlight Emmanuel's 8-0 win in a doubleheader sweep over Anna Maria College on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference softball action. The Saints went on to win game 2 by a 7-0 score to extend their win streak to 10.

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME 1

• First year shortstop Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) gave Long all the run support she'd need in the first with a solo blast to put the Saints ahead for good, 1-0.
• EC made it 4-0 in the second with a pair of unearned runs and an RBI single by sophomore centerfielder Julyanne Pacheco (Somerset, Mass.)
• Sophomore outfielder Jadynne Hill (Haverhill, Mass.) homered in the fourth to bump the lead to 5-0 before junior second baseman Kiana Hinson and sophomore third basemen Maegan Amsler (Hanover, Mass.) drove in runs to increase the lead to 7-0.
• Long faced the minimum through five innings of work, striking out seven along the way in a dominant showing to help her improve to 6-1 in the circle on the year.
• Conti solidified the perfect game with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to walk-off with an 8-0 run-rule victory for Emmanuel.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• The perfect game is the first in Emmanuel College history and marks the first no-hitter since Megan Kieselback '19 tossed one vs. Anna Maria back on April 22, 2018.
• Conti finished the game going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI.
• Pacheco and Hinson also added two hits in the win.
• Junior Sabrina Liston (Rehoboth, Mass.) suffered the loss allowing eight runs (five earned) on 11 hits while striking out four to fall to 1-5 on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED - GAME 2

• Emmanuel got all they'd need again in the first inning, plating four runs to cruise to their 10^th consecutive victory. Amsler opened the scoring with a two-RBI single to right-center before sophomore pitcher Tianna Dawe (Lynn, Mass.) helped her own caused with a mammoth two-run moonshot to put EC on top, 4-0.
• Conti stayed hot with her second homerun of the day in the second, a two-run blast to center to make it 6-0.
• The Saints capped the scoring in the sixth with an unearned run to account for the 7-0 final as Dawe was in charge in the circle, hurling her second consecutive complete-game shutout for the win to improve to 5-2 on the year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Dawe went the distance allowing just three hits while collecting seven strikeouts in the victory.
• Conti posted another multi-hit outing with a 2-for-4 showing, adding two more RBI and runs scored.
• Senior first baseman Emily Blanchard (Sturbridge, Mass.) and junior catcher Avery Webb (Hollis, N.H.) also chipped in with two hits for EC.
• Junior Shay Savoie (Namao, AB), senior Michelle Cilley (Dracut, Mass.) and sophomore Kaitlyn Snyder (Cromwell, Conn.) collected the hits for the AMCats.
• Snyder suffered the loss, throwing six innings and allowing seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits while collecting three K's.
• At 11-3, the Saints now have carved out the greatest start in program history through 14 games while the 10-game winning streak is also the longest streak in program history.
  

UP NEXT

• Emmanuel returns to action tomorrow in a key GNAC showdown, hosting Johnson & Wales University at 12:00 PM at Roberto Clemente Field.
• Anna Maria is also back tomorrow, heading to Windsor, Conn. to face University of Saint Joseph (CT) in GNAC play starting at 3:00 PM at the Fastpitch Nation complex.