GATORS NIP SAINTS IN GNAC NIGHT GAMES
March 29, 2012
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Softball Team suffered a two-game sweep at the hands of Pine Manor College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) double-header played under the lights at a chilly Clemente Field on Thursday night. The losses (6-2 and 8-5) bring the Saints to 4-16 overall and 2-6 in the conference. Pine Manor improves to 3-3 both overall and in league play.
Game one began with two scoreless innings, before Pine Manor scored three times to kick off the 3rd inning. Consecutive singles by Tara Doehler (Lakeville, Mass.) and Ashley Carusone (Nashua, N.H.) opened things up for the Gators. Senior captain Kayla Provost (Saco, Me.) then stepped to the plate and doubled, driving in both baserunners. Junior Kaylyn Delgado (Worcester, Mass.) singled for PMC's fourth hit of the inning and scored Provost, as the Gators took a 3-0 lead.
The Saints were held scoreless through six, despite a power shot from Carina Paz (Fall River, Mass.), who tripled in the bottom of the second. Pine Manor then tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth. Carusone singled again to start the frame. Provost smashed her second double of the game, scoring Carusone. Another hit by Nelson scored Provost. And a Delgado single scored Nelson, giving the Gators a 6-0 cushion.
The Saints recorded six hits in the game, including a late seventh inning bomb by sophomore Jennifer Garrity (Lynn, Mass.), who hit a two RBI homer, accounting for Emmanuel's only two runs of the game. Junior pitcher Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) singled to begin the inning, before Garrity drove her home with her first collegiate homerun. Three straight outs then ended the inning for the Saints and Pine Manor came away with the 6-2 win.
Lloid went the distance in the circle for Emmanuel, facing 35 batters, striking out 6 and giving up 11 hits to the Gators. Doehler earned the win for PMC, as she struck out 5 of her 26 batters faced.
Game two featured the Saints surging out in front early. After holding the Gators hitless in the first, Lloid doubled, driving in Julia Levins (Uxbridge, Mass.), who had reached on a walk and Emmanuel led, 1-0. Pine Manor knotted the score in the top of the second after another hit from Delgado and a Saints throwing error.
The Saints got more life in the bottom of the side, when third baseman Kayla Howard (Belmont, N.H.) singled and freshman Alexandra Bressette (North Easton, Mass.) drove the ball deep over the centerfield fence, giving Emmanuel a 3-1 edge. The Saints then scored again in the third to go up, 4-1, when Levins bunted and scored off a hit by Garrity.
Pine Manor bounced back in the top of the fourth, when Provost homered for her 4th hit of the night. The Gators scored again in the fifth, when Carusone hit a 2RBI homer to left centerfield and knotted the score at 4-all.
A scoreless fifth for the Saints led to a three-run sixth for Pine Manor, backed by more hits from Delgado and Nelson, and the Gators led, 7-4. Emmanuel got one more back in the sixth, when freshman Julia Demirali (West Roxbury, Mass.) drove in Howard, bringing the score to 7-5. However, Pine Manor scored again in the seventh, when Carusone tripled and was scored by Provost brining the final score to 8-5.
Nelson earned the win for the Gators, spelling Doehler on the mound in the 3rd. Nelson gave up just one hit in four innings pitched, striking out five Saints. Garrity took the loss for the Saints, throwing six innings and fanning six, before getting relief from Levins for the final inning.
The Saints combined for seven hits in game two. Pine Manor recorded six hits, including two apiece from Carusone and Delgado. Delgado finished with 5 hits on the night, while Provost and Carusone each recorded four hits. Provost is now just two hits shy of 100 for her collegiate career.
Emmanuel will host back-to-back double-headers on Saturday, facing Mount Ida College on Saturday and Norwich University on Sunday. Start times for both days are 12:00pm. Pine Manor will host Emerson and Rivier on the same days.