March 22, 2009

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Softball Team opened up Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Sunday afternoon. The Saints split with Colleges of the Fenway rival, Simmons College. Emmanuel rallied after a 12-0 beating in the opener to nip the Sharks, 4-2, in the nightcap. With the split, the Saints are now 4-8 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Simmons is 3-9 overall and also 1-1 in the league.

Game one featured a superior pitching performance by Simmons junior Sammi Letizio (Windham, N.H.). Letizio maintained a no-hitter until Emmanuel's junior center-fielder Samantha Luther (Carlisle, Mass.) singled in the bottom of the sixth, which proved to be the Saints' only hit of the game, coming in the team's last at-bat.

Emmanuel hung with Simmons early in the opener, holding the Sharks scoreless for the first two innings. Two runs in the third put Simmons on top, 2-0. The fifth and sixth proved to be monster innings for the Sharks, as they posted five runs in each, to take away a 12-0 win.

The Sharks' offense was paced by sophomore shortstop Annie Thompson (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), who went four for four in the game, including three singles, as well as a solo homerun in the top of the fifth. Simmons' rookie DP Ashley Wheeler (Nashua, N.H.) hit two for three with homer in the sixth, which help end the game early for the Sharks.

Game two was a different story, with Emmanuel scoring on its opening at-bat. Luther led off and reached on an error. She was advanced twice by freshmen Christina Proulx (Boxborough, Mass.) and Ariana Liakos (Litchfield, N.H.) and then scored on a wild pitch to put the Saints up, 1-0. Simmons tied things up in the top of the second after a double by junior first-baseman Leah Derderian (Boylston, Mass.) and an Emmanuel throwing error.

Emmanuel took over the lead again in the third inning, when freshman third-baseman Chelsey Guselli (Methuen, Mass.) tripled, scoring left-fielder Erin McSheffrey (Woburn, Mass.), who had reached on a walk. Junior shortstop Danielle Andruskiwec (Orange, Conn.) then drove in Guselli to give the Saints a 3-1 edge.

A double to left field by junior right-fielder Kristina Borrelli (Kingston, Mass.) gave the Saints their first base-runner of the fourth inning. Borrelli was advanced by freshman catcher Kristen Landers (Worcester, Mass.) and Luther, before scoring off a shot down the third-base line by Proulx. Borrelli's run gave the Saints a three-run cushion heading into the fifth.

Two scoreless innings were played before the Sharks put their final run on the board. Sophomore centerfielder Stephanie Murray (Groveland, Mass.) reached on a bunt and was advanced to third after another single by Thompson, who went six for eight on the day. A late double by Derderian knocked in Murray, to bring the score to 4-2 in favor of Emmanuel. The Sharks stranded two in the seventh and Emmanuel came away with the 4-2 victory.

Freshman pitcher Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) went the full seven innings for Emmanuel. Copp faced 29 batters, struck out two and gave up just one earned run in the win.

The Saints will play back at Rotch Playground again on Friday afternoon (3/27). Emmanuel will take on the Lions of Emerson College in a double-header, hosted by Emerson and beginning at 3pm.