April 10, 2010
Box Score
BOSTON, Mass. - Mount Ida College took two Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball games from Emmanuel on Saturday afternoon at Roberto Clemente Field. The Mustangs took the Saints into an extra inning in the opener, before pulling out a 3-1 win. The visitors then capitalized on five runs in the 6th and 7th innings to take a 7-2 victory in the nightcap. The pair of losses dropped the Saints to 9-10 on the season and 5-7 in GNAC play, while Mount Ida improved to 13-12 overall and 6-8 in the league.
Game one was played scoreless for the first six innings. Five Emmanuel singles were recorded in the early going, including hits by Christina Proulx (Boxborough, Mass.), Chelsey Guselli (Methuen, Mass.), Jesse Hutchins (Sebago, Me.), Erin McSheffrey (Woburn, Mass.) and Elyse Turgeon (Dracut, Mass.), but the Saints left all runners on base through the six innings. Mount Ida notched three hits, coming by way of singles from Danielle Mitchell (Whitman, Mass.), Tiffany Hamann (Newton, Mass.) and a double by Erica Belliveau (Tewksbury, Mass.), but the visitors were not able to score through six.
The top of the seventh featured a solo homerun by Belliveau, which put the Mustangs up 1-0. This was the first homer to be knocked over the fence at Clemente Field. The Saints were able to knot things up in the bottom of the frame. Turgeon led off with a double, her second hit of the game. Senior shortstop Danielle Andruskiwec (Orange, Conn.) then reached on an error. Heather Hamel (Belchertown, Mass.) pinch-ran for Andruskiwec and stole second base. Freshman pitcher Kelly Lloid (Issaquah, Wash.) then singled to drive in Hamel for the game tying run. Lloid's hit sent the game into an extra inning at 1-1.
With a runner placed on second and singles by Erin Dufficy (Shelton, Conn.) and Ashley White (Salem, Mass.) in the top of the eighth, Mount Ida took a 3-1 lead. Three-straight Emmanuel batters went down in the bottom of the frame and the Mustangs held on for 3-1 win.
Freshman pitcher Devan Meeker (Bantam, Conn.) picked up the win for the Mustangs, throwing all 8 innings. Lloid went the distance for the Saints, striking out seven.
Game two featured an early 2-0 lead by the visitors. The Mustangs put two runs on the board in the top of the second, backed by singles from Courtney Rebello (North Dartmouth, Mass.) and Dufficy. The Saints then came from behind again and tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Proulx singled and Andruskiwec reached on an error by the centerfielder. Both runners scored, as Turgeon posted her third hit of the day.
The fifth inning was a scoreless one, but the Mustangs managed to capitalize on several Emmanuel fielding errors to break the tie in the top of the sixth. Rebello led off with a double for her second hit of the game. Three ensuing errors by the Saints helped the Mustangs to manufacture three runs and take a 5-2 lead.
Despite two singles from Samantha Luther (Carlisle, Mass.), and more hits by Andruskiwec and Turgeon, the Saints were held scoreless for the remainder of the game. Mount Ida tacked on two more runs in the seventh. The Mustangs took advantage of another hit from Rebello, who went 3-4 at the plate in the game, as well as a single from Denise Picard (Winooski, Vt.) and two more Emmanuel errors, en route to the 7-2 win.
Meeker picked up her second win of the day, throwing another 7 innings and striking out 7 Emmanuel batters. Kathryn Copp (Fremont, N.H.) took the loss for Emmanuel.
The Saints are back in action on Sunday (4/11). Emmanuel will travel to Nashua, N.H. to take on the powerful Raiders of Rivier College in a 1pm start. Mount Ida will play next on April 13th, taking on Emerson in a 5pm start.
