Saints Blast Five Home Runs in Suffolk Sweep; 9-1 & 10-0

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Game 1 Score: Emmanuel, 9 – Suffolk, 1 (5 inn.)
Game 2 Score: Emmanuel, 10 – Suffolk, 0 (6 inn.)

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (15-9, 8-0 GNAC)
Suffolk University Rams (17-13, 7-3 CCC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Clemente Field

Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2022

THE LEAD – Emmanuel College blasted five home runs in a pair of non-conference softball victories versus Suffolk University Wednesday evening at Roberto Clemente Field. The Saints took Game 1 by a 9-1 score in five innings before shutting out the Rams, 10-0, in six innings in Game 2.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)

• Suffolk jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the first on an RBI single to center by Ally Cifaratta but it proved to be the only run of the entire night for the Rams as both EC pitchers were lights out from that point on.
• Emmanuel broke the game open with an eight-run second inning, sending 11 batters to the plate in the scoring barrage. The Saints tied the game with the help of a Suffolk miscue before the bats came to life. Junior centerfielder Julyanne Pacheco (Somerset, Mass.), senior infielder Renae Lacroix (Cumberland, R.I.) and sophomore shortstop Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) all collected RBI's with the bases loaded to move the score to 4-1. Senior catcher Avery Webb (Hollis, N.H.) kept the inning going with an RBI single to center to bump the lead to 5-1 before the middle of the lineup put the game away with a pair of dingers. Senior Grace Orcutt (Lexington, Mass.) connected on her fourth homer of the season, a two-run shot to make it 7-1 before first year Madison Marks (Edgewater Park, N.J.) sent a solo shot over the right centerfield wall to cap the inning with the hosts advantage at 8-1.
• Marks hit her second four-bagger of the game in the fifth, another solo bomb this time to left center to account for the 9-1 final.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 1)

• Junior Tianna Dawe (Peabody, Mass.) threw all five innings, allowing just the one run on six hits while striking out nine. The win is Dawe's sixth straight decision and moves her to 6-5 overall on the year.
• The two-home run game for Marks was her second of the season as the first year also recorded two moonshots a week ago today in EC's 8-6 GNAC win over Simmons.
• Pacheco was the only other Emmanuel player to finish the game with multiple hits going 2-for-3 in the win.
• Cifaratta, Caitlin Murphy and Bianca Luciano all had three hits apiece for Suffolk.
• Ashlyn Conley was the tough-luck loser surrendering all eight runs in the second despite only two being earned to fall to 0-1 on the year. Ava Brandow was efficient in relief allowing just one run over 3.1 innings of work, recording four K's.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)

• First year starting pitcher Brenna Whittaker (Cranston, R.I.) hurled her second consecutive complete-game shutout, working six innings and scattering six hits to go along with three strikeouts to improve to 6-4 on the campaign.
• The Saints gave Whittaker all the run support she'd need in the first as Conti smashed her team-leading seventh homer, a two-run shot, to open the scoring. Later in the inning, Mark's singled up the middle to give CE an early 3-0 cushion.
• Emmanuel scored in bunches in the nightcap, tacking on four more runs in the third on a grand slam missile by junior outfielder Jadynne Hill (Haverhill, Mass.) to bump the lead to 7-0.
• In the sixth, EC put up three more runs highlighted by a two-RBI single through the left side by senior infielder Kianna Hinson (Whittier, Calif.) to cap the scoring at 10-0.
• The Rams threatened to extend the game in the bottom half of the inning by loading the bases but Whittaker worked out of the jam, recording the final out via the K to leave them loaded and preserve the run-rule victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 2)

• The win was the 11^th straight for the Saints marking the second consecutive season they've posted a winning streak of 10 games or more.
• Pacheco and Conti each finished the second affair with two hits each while the four-RBI game for Hill was a career-high.
• Orcutt went 1-for-3 in the win to extend her current hitting streak to 11 games.
• Six different Rams collected hits in the loss with Brandow registering the only extra base hit for Suffolk with a double.

UP NEXT

• The Saints are back on Saturday, April 23 for a GNAC North showdown at Dean College scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM
• Suffolk plays host to Wentworth the same day in a CCC affair starting at 12:00 PM and will feature a Senior Day celebration.