Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 STANDISH, Maine – Freshman Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) and junior Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass./Newton North) each had strong pitching performances to lead the St. Joseph's College (Maine) Monks to a non-conference doubleheader softball sweep over the University of Southern Maine Huskies Thursday night at Bailey Field in Standish, Maine.
With the pair of wins, St. Joseph's College improves to 25-7 overall. With its third straight loss, USM falls to 6-26 overall. The Monks took the first game 4-2 and 10-2 (six innings) in the second.
Boulanger had five strikeouts and scattered three hits and five walks over seven innings to earn a 4-2 win in the opener. The Monks supported Boulanger in the opener knocking out eight hits led by a 3-for-3 effort senior Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt./Lyndon Institute) and a 2-for-3 effort from freshman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine/Sacopee Valley).
The Monks took advantage of a pair of USM errors in the bottom of the second inning to grab a 2-0 lead and held the advantage heading into the top of the fourth inning before the Huskies took one back on an RBI ground out from senior Cara Radino (Franklin, N.J./Wallkill Valley). Radino drove in sophomore Kristin Duross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) who led off the inning with a triple.
With its lead halved, St. Joseph's answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs on four hits, including an RBI single from junior Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I./Scituate) and an RBI sacrifice fly from junior Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) to pull ahead 4-1.
Duross pulled USM to within 4-2 in the top of the fifth with an RBI sacrifice fly to left field to plate senior Stefanie Stockwell (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle). Stockwell led off the inning with a single to left field. However, St. Joseph's was able to hold on for the win as Boulanger retired the next seven Huskies' batters in order.
In the second game, Copan earned her 10th win over the season, holding USM to one hit over three innings with a pair of strikeouts. Jordan was 2-for-3 in the second game with a pair of RBI including a triple. Junior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
After a scoreless three innings, USM struck first to take a 1-0 lead through the top of the fourth inning as senior Katie Davis (Woburn, Mass.) led off the inning with one of her three hits. Radino drove in the Huskies' run with a sacrifice fly. The Monks answered right back in the home half of the fourth with four runs to grab a 4-1 lead. Jordan had a two-run triple to right center field to highlight the Monks' rally.
The Huskies again halved the Monks lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth with an RBI double from Duross to plate Davis, who reached safely with a single up the middle, but the Monks earned the win with six runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Monks took advantage of three walks and four hits to plate six runs, including RBIs from Shufelt, Hendrix, freshman Alyssa Wade (Peru, Maine/Dirigo), junior Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H./Dover) and senior Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine/Fryeburg Academy).
Southern Maine hosts Keene State in a Little East Conference doubleheader on Saturday (1:00 p.m.). St. Joseph's College hosts Suffolk University in a GNAC doubleheader on Friday (3:30 p.m.).
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