LIONS NIP SAINTS IN FINAL INNINGS OF GNAC SOFTBALL TWINBILL
April 14, 2010
BOSTON, Mass. - Emerson College captured a pair of one-run victories over Emmanuel College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball twinbill played under the lights at Clemente Field on Wednesday night. The visiting Lions used an extra inning to take a 6-5 win in game one and then scored their go-ahead run in the seventh inning of the nightcap for a 2-1 victory in game two. The wins pushed the Lions to 20-8 on the season and 15-3 in GNAC play. The losses, which marked the Saints' 6th and 7th one-run defeats this season, dropped Emmanuel to 9-14 overall and 5-13 in conference play.
Emerson got on the board early in the opener, as junior designated player Christina Naramore (Ammissville, Va.) drilled a two-run homer over the fence with two outs in the top of the first inning to give the Lions a 2-0 advantage. Senior third-baseman Nikki Battaglia (Freehold, N.J.) was walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jilisa Rawding (Tewksbury, Mass.) to open the fourth inning. Kendal Pieguss (Suquamish, Wash.) then reached on an Emmanuel infield error, before junior catcher Sierra Wood (Torrance, Conn.) smacked a double, scoring both Nattaglia and Pieguss. The Lions led 4-0 after three and a half innings played.
The bottom of the frame featured a 5-hit, 4-run performance by the Saints, tying the game at 4-all. Sophomore Chelsey Guselli (Methuen, Mass.) singled to begin the inning. Senior short-stop Danielle Andruskiwec (Orange, Conn.) hit a ground rule double and moved Guselli to third. Freshman pitcher Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) then pounded a 2-run double up the middle, which scored Guselli and Andruskiwec and Emmanuel trailed 4-2. Freshman Jackie Murray (Saugus, Mass.) came in to pinch run for Lloid. Sophomore first-baseman Kristen Landers (Worcester, Mass.) smashed a shot over the left field fence, scoring herself and Murray and tying the contest at 4-4.
The fourth, fifth and sixth innings were scoreless ones for both teams and the game entered an extra inning. The international tiebreaker rule placed Jordan Newell (Palm City, Fla.) on second base for Emerson. Brittany Martin (Las Vegas, Nev.) then reached on an infield error, which scored Newell. A sacrifice fly to right eventually scored Martin and Emerson led 6-4, heading into the bottom of the inning.
Emmanuel placed sophomore Heather Hamel (Belchertown, Mass.) on second to start the bottom of the eighth. Sophomore catcher Elyse Turgeon (Dracut, Mass.) hit an infield blooper, which was thrown away and Hamel scored to give Emmanuel its fifth and final run. The Lions squeaked by with the 6-5 win in an extra frame.
Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Tuthill (Middlefield, Conn.) picked up the win for the Lions, throwing four and a third innings in relief. She teamed up with Courtney Smith (Syracuse, N.Y.) to strike out 8 Emmanuel batters. Lloid went the distance for the Saints on the mound. She struck out six Lions and gave up 8 hits.
After two scoreless innings in the nightcap, the Saints put a run on the board first in the bottom of the third. Senior third-baseman Sarah Palmer-Thompson (Dennis, Mass.) and classmate Samantha Luther (Carlisle, Mass.) singled to start things off. Lloid then notched a base-hit, which scored Palmer-Thompson, giving Emmanuel a 1-0 lead.
The Saints survived several jams in game two, before finally falling short in the seventh inning. Emmanuel held Emerson scoreless through five innings played. Emmanuel's defense was able to get out of a four-walk predicament in the first inning, a bases-loaded situation in the fourth and a jam with runners on second and third in the fifth inning.
The Lions rebounded in the top of the sixth, when a line-drive double down the third-baseline by Tuthill scored Wood to tie the game at 1-all. Base-hits by Bridget Farago (Oneonta, N.Y.) and Naramore put two more runners on for Emerson. However, Luther retrieved Naramore's single in short centerfield and fired the ball into Hamel, throwing out the Lions' go-ahead run at the plate.
The Saints went down quickly in the sixth and the Lions added the winning run on in the top of the seventh. Pieguss hit a stand-up double with two away in the frame, before Wood dropped a blooper into short center, which scored Pieguss for the winning run.
The Saints had a final chance in the bottom of the seventh. The hosts got clutch hits from Guselli and Christina Proulx (Boxborough, Mass.) and a situation with runners on second and third, but Emmanuel couldn't get it done and Emerson walked away with a 2-1 win.
Sophomore pitcher Sara Murray (Auburn, N.H.) took the win for the Lions. Jesse Hutchins (Sebago, Me.) and Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) combined to throw game two for Emmanuel.
The Saints will be back in action on Friday afternoon (4/16), when Emmanuel travels to West Hartford, Connecticut to take on the Blue Jays of Saint Joseph College in a 3pm start. Emerson will play host to Simmons College on Friday afternoon at Rotch Park.