SOFTBALL TEAM SPLITS WITH SUFFOLK IN CROSS-TOWN BATTLE
April 14, 2009
CHARLESTOWN, Mass. – The Emmanuel Softball Team split with the visiting Rams of Suffolk University on Tuesday night in two hard-fought games of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) double-header. Suffolk bounced back from multi-run deficits three different times, before the Saints finished things off for the Rams with a 9-8 win in the first game. Suffolk then scored seven runs in the first three innings of the nightcap to come away with a 7-4 win in game two. With the split in their last regular season home games of the year, Emmanuel is now 9-19 overall and 6-12 in league play, while Suffolk is 14-14 on the season and 11-5 in the GNAC. The young Saints have now tripled their win total from last season.
The Saints led 2-0 after the first inning and by as many as five runs (6-1) after the fifth, but Suffolk tied things up in the sixth inning, 6-6. The Saints rallied again in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two more runs and taking an 8-6 advantage. The Rams clawed their way back again in the top of the seventh and tied the ball game at 8-8. A two-out single knocked in the ninth and winning run for the Saints in the bottom of the seventh and Emmanuel walked off the field earning a 9-8 win in the opener.
The Saints’ two-run lead early on came by way of two hits. Junior centerfielder Samantha Luther (Carlisle, Mass) laid down a perfect bunt for a single after classmate Sarah Palmer-Thompson (Dennis, Mass.) had reached on a walk. Junior left-fielder Erin McSheffrey (Woburn, Mass.) hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield that scored Palmer-Thompson and freshman Elyse Turgeon (Dracut, Mass.) singled to score Luther, giving the Saints a 2-0 lead after one inning played.
A scoreless frame in the second gave way to a one-run inning for Suffolk in the third. The Rams’ lead-off batter, Monica Cioffi (East Boston, Mass.) singled, stole second, and reached third on a passed ball. Senior shortstop Jessica Ferreira (Cambridge, Mass.) grounded out to Palmer-Thompson, but scored Cioffi in the process and put the Rams on the board, 2-1, after three.
After two scoreless at-bats for Suffolk, Emmanuel batted through the order in the bottom of the fifth, racking up five hits, and tacking on four runs to bring the Saints’ spread to 6-1. Two-straight singles from freshmen Jesse Hutchins (Sebago, Maine) and Christina Proulx (Boxborough, Mass.) put two runners on heading into the top of the order for Emmanuel. Another hit from Luther loaded the bases for McSheffrey. The junior stepped to the plate and cracked a three-run double, bringing her RBI tally to four in the game. Turgeon then picked up another hit, which scored McSheffrey, and the Saints led by five. The Emmanuel rally forced Suffolk to replace starting hurler Carissa Roche (Swampscott, Mass.) with rookie Elizabeth Galvin (Medway, Mass.) in the fifth.
The Rams then opened the sixth with three-straight hits, including a long RBI triple from Kellie Hurlock (East Lyme, Conn.). Freshman designated player Cali Loura (Farmington, Conn.) was hit by a pitch and Cioffi was walked to load the bases for the Rams. A Suffolk base-runner scored on a wild pitch before senior centerfielder Marie Trainor (Winthrop, Mass.) singled to score two more runs for the Rams and tied the contest at 6-6.
The Saints were able to surge ahead again in the bottom of the sixth. Hutchins walked and Proulx singled giving Palmer-Thompson to base-runners. The junior gapped an RBI single that scored Hutchins and gave the Saints a 7-6 lead. Luther then grounded out to third, but scored Proulx and the Saints led 8-6 with six innings played.
Two Suffolk runs in the top of the seventh, including one courtesy of an RBI triple by Loura, forged another tie, 8-8. Emmanuel entered the bottom of the seventh with one final opportunity to wrap the contest up in regulation. With one out, Turgeon doubled for her third hit of the game, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Freshman catcher Kristen Landers (Worcester, Mass.) then hit the game-winning single, which scored Turgeon and the Saints came away with the 9-8 victory.
Emmanuel starter Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) pitched the opening five innings for the Saints. Hutchins relieved Copp in the top of the sixth. The two faced 37 batters and combined for seven strikeouts in the win.
Game two featured a strong opening three at-bats for Suffolk. The Rams surged out to a 7-3 lead after three innings played. After a two-run start for Suffolk, the Saints tied the game with a two-RBI single from McSheffrey in the bottom of the first. The junior left-fielder finished the night with a total of six runs batted in. The Rams manufactured two more runs off of one hit in the second to bring the score to 4-2. Emmanuel’s junior designated player Kristina Borrelli (Kingston, Mass.) singled and advanced to second on a passed ball in the bottom of the frame. Luther then singled for her fourth hit of the night and scored Borrelli to cut the deficit to one run, 4-3.
Two hits, a walk, and an error by the Saints gave way to three Suffolk scores in the third and the Rams took a 7-3 lead. Emmanuel was able to score just once more in the contest. McSheffrey singled in the bottom of the fifth and junior shortstop Danielle Andruskiwec (Orange, Conn.) knocked her in with a double. The Saints would come no closer than the 7-4 margin, and Suffolk took away the win in the nightcap.
The Saints have now wrapped up their regular season home contests. Emmanuel will be vying for a play-off bid over the remaining three GNAC double-headers. The Saints travel to Standish, Maine to take on the Monks of Saint Joseph’s College on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30pm. Emmanuel will then play at Johnson & Wales University on Saturday and at Norwich University on Sunday.