BOSTON – Emmanuel softball took over the top spot in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) North Division after a doubleheader sweep of the New England Pilgrims on Monday afternoon from Clemente Field. Game one saw the Saints claim a 5-1 win, while the home side forced a run-rule game in the second meeting, winning 11-1 in six innings.
The Saints sweep moves them to 9-19 (7-1 GNAC, 5-1 GNAC North) this season. The Pilgrims drop down to 10-16 (5-3 GNAC, 4-2 GNAC North).
GAME ONE: Emmanuel 5 – New England 1
The Pilgrims struck first in the top of the opening inning after two early walks put two on base.
Emma Lopez stepped in and singled up the middle, scoring
Grace Giesler, giving NEC an early 1-0 lead.
Emmanuel struck back in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead. Junior
Christyna Winstead singled her way on before sophomore
Francesca Pizzarella delivered a two-run home run to center field, giving the Saints the lead.
The Saints tacked on two more in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of two runners in scoring position and a double into the left-center gap by sophomore
Alexis Martineau, scoring both Saints, boosting the lead to 4-1.
More insurance came in the fifth as senior
Taylor Chelak notched her first home run of the year, coming on an inside-the-park homer. Chelak hit a deep fly to center that overshot the Pilgrims center fielder. The resulting ricochet off the fence rolled significantly away from any Pilgrims outfielder, allowing Chelak to come all the way around, giving the Saints a 5-1 lead.
Meanwhile, in the pitching circle, senior
Madison Marks found her stride, allowing just four hits while striking out nine batters. Of her nine strikeouts, six came via a strikeout looking. Earning the win, Marks improved to 5-8 this season.
Chelak and Martineau both finished 2-for-3 in the opening game of the doubleheader. Pizzarella's third inning home run is the first of her career, as she finished 1-for-4 at the plate.
GAME TWO: Emmanuel 11 – New England 1 (Final/6 Innings)
Similar to the opening game of Monday's doubleheader, the Pilgrims were out to an early 1-0 lead in the first. Giesler opened the game with a leadoff triple to right-center field before an RBI single by
Sonia Garcia gave NEC a 1-0 advantage.
The Saints response in game two was immediate, as an RBI single by Chelak in the bottom half of the first tied the game, 1-1. Marks followed with a home run over the right-center fence, giving Emmanuel a 3-1 edge.
The 3-1 lead remained until the bottom of the fourth where the Saints to control of game two. With runners on the corners, Martineau delivered an RBI single to center field, upping the lead to 4-1. Three batters later and with two runners in scoring position, Pizzarella knocked a two-run double to left-center for a 6-1 lead. Pizzarella later scored on an error, helping the Saints to a 7-1 edge.
After adding a run in the fifth to take an 8-1 lead, Emmanuel was set for the run-rule win in the bottom of the sixth as singles by Pizzarella and Chelak put a pair of runners on. Marks came to the plate and delivered her second home run shot of the game, leading to the 11-1 victory.
Seven Saints had at least one hit in game two, with four Saints recording three hits in the victory. Marks finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI. Pizzarella was also 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, while Chelak hit 3-for-4, all singles. Senior
Amanda Penney was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish in game two. First-year
Lauren Peers pitched all six innings, allowing one run on six hits, improving to 4-8 this season.
COMING NEXT
The Saints are back in action tomorrow night, April 15, hosting Wheaton at Clemente Field, starting at 5:00 p.m. The Pilgrims head to Saint Joseph's College on Wednesday, April 16, for a doubleheader starting at 4:00 p.m.
