SAINTS CRUISE TO DOUBLE-HEADER SWEEP OF FALCONS
April 9, 2009
CHARLESTOWN, Mass. - The Emmanuel Saints played solid all-around softball on Thursday night, cruising to a 10-0 and 10-1 sweep of Albertus Magnus College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) double-header played on the diamond at Charlestown High School. The Saints turned 25 hits into 21 runs over the twin bill and ended both games short of the full seven innings. Every Emmanuel batter who stepped to the plate recorded a hit over the two five-inning games. With the double victories, Emmanuel improves to 8-16 overall and 5-9 in GNAC play, while the Falcons drop to 0-13 on the season and 0-10 in the league.
Freshman Jesse Hutchins (Sebago, Maine) kicked off the scoring for Emmanuel, when she ripped a lead-off homerun in the bottom of the third. Sophomore center-fielder Sarah Palmer-Thompson (Dennis, Mass.) then reached on her second single of the night. After stealing two bases and moving herself into scoring position, freshman third-baseman Chelsey Guselli (Methuen, Mass.) knocked Palmer-Thompson in, to put the Saints up 2-0. Junior shortstop Danielle Andruskiwec (Orange, Conn.) singled and she and Guselli each stole second and third, respectively. Junior left-fielder Erin McSheffrey (Woburn, Mass.) then notched a 2-RBI single that scored Guselli and Andruskiwec for a 4-0 Saints' lead after three.
The Saints' defense quickly put the Falcons away in the top of the fourth, before tacking on six more runs in the bottom of the frame. All six Emmanuel runs came with two down in the inning. Hutchins again opened things up with a two-out double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Freshman designated player Heather Hamel (Belchertown, Mass.) recorded an RBI single, which scored Hutchins. Palmer-Thompson then doubled for her third hit of the day, scoring Hamel. Freshman second-baseman Christina Proulx (Boxborough, Mass) singled to score Palmer-Thompson and the Saints were up, 7-0. Guselli singled and knocked in Proux for her third hit and second RBI of the night. Andruskiwec reached on a walk and McSheffrey tallied another hit, scoring Guselli, for her 3rd RBI of the game. Junior right-fielder Kristina Borrelli (Kingston, Mass.) then singled to score Andruskiwec and capped the Saints' scoring at 10 for the game.
After a 1-hit, 0-run inning for Albertus Magnus in the top of the 5th, Emmanuel came away with the 10-0 win. Freshman pitcher Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) threw the two-hit shut-out facing 17 batters and striking out six. This was Copp's sixth win of the season.
The first and second innings of game two featured just one hit, a two-out Falcon single in the top of the first. No runs were recorded for either team, until the Saints took their ups in the bottom of the third.
Freshman designated hitter Ariana Liakos (Litchfield, N.H.) and freshman catcher Kristen Landers (Worcester, Mass.) each walked to open the inning, before Hutchins stepped to the plate and cracked her second homer of the day, a 3-RBI bomb that put Emmanuel up 3-0. Palmer-Thompson then singled, her 4th hit of the night, and Guselli homered to score two more runs for the Saints and Emmanuel led 5-0 after three.
Again with two outs gone in the fourth, the Saints added several more runs to their total. Hutchins tripled and Deanna Mastrovito (Worcester, Mass.) knocked her in with an RBI single. Proulx then added to the Emmanuel homerun tally, when she homered to score herself and Mastrovito. With another single in the bottom of the fourth, Guselli tallied her 5th hit of the night, as she went 5-6 with for 4 RBIs and her first collegiate homerun. The Saints led 8-0 after four innings played.
The Saints' defense tried to hold the Falcons scoreless in the top of the fifth, but Albertus Magnus managed to score one run and extend the ballgame. However, it would take no more than the bottom of the fifth for the Saints to add on another run (or two) and put the 8-run rule into effect.
Junior right-fielder Chelsie Baldwin (Canonsburg, Pa.) recorded a single and Liakos doubled to put two women on for Landers. Landers doubled, scoring both base-runners and ended the game with the Saints taking a 10-1 victory.
Hutchins picked up the win in game two. She was solid through five innings, striking out six of her 22 batters faced and giving up just 2 hits and an unearned run. Hutchins' performance was phenomenal all around, as she finished the night, going 4 for 4 at the plate with four RBIs off a double, a triple, and 2 homeruns.
The Saints will play again on Monday night (4/13) in a make-up double-header at Rivier College in Nashua, N.H. at 7pm. Emmanuel is home again at Charlestown High School on Tuesday night, when the Saints host the Rams of Suffolk University in their last home game of the regular season at 6pm.