BOSTON, MA – Saint Joseph's (22-6, 16-4 GNAC) and Emerson College (15-11, 12-2 GNAC) split a GNAC softball twinbill on Sunday afternoon. The Monks suffered a 5-3 setback in the first game and rebounded to claim a split with a 5-4 triumph in the second contest.

GAME ONE

In the first game, all of the scoring took place in the first inning. The Monks struck first when senior catcher Heather Tripp (Lovell, Maine) belted two-run homer and freshman first baseman Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) produced an RBI base hit. But the Lions roared back with five runs in the bottom of the frame, as junior left fielder Bianca Buono (San Diego, Calif.) slammed a three-run jack, junior designated player Lauren Jacaruso (West Islip, N.Y.) rapped an RBI single, and sophomore third baseman Nikki Delaney (San Mateo, Calif.) scored on a throwing error.

The best opportunity for either team to score in the final six innings of play occurred in the top of the fourth when the Monks had runners at second and third with two out. Sophomore right fielder Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I.) led off the frame with an infield single and moved up two bases on a Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) two-bagger, but both runners were stranded as Emerson starter Alicia Daniele (Mahwah, N.J.) fanned Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) to end the threat.

For Saint Joseph's, Tripp was 2-3 with a home run and two RBI, Ramos went 2-3 and junior left fielder Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) was 2-3 with a run and a pair of doubles. Senior starting pitcher Kayla Vannah (Waldoboro, Maine) took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) off seven hits and two walks with a pair of K's over six innings.

Freshman right fielder Amanda Horton (Riverside, R.I.), who went 3-3 with a stolen base, was the Lions' lone repeat-hitter. Daniele yielded three runs off eight hits and two walks and struck out one batter to claim the victory in the circle.

GAME TWO

The Lions plated three runs off two hits and an SJC miscue in the bottom of the first and countered a pair of Monks' runs in the top of the second with a run of their own in their next turn to take a 4-2 lead through two frames. Seeking a split, the visitors chipped away at the deficit and scored a run in the third before claiming the lead with a pair of scores in the top of the fourth.

Saint Joseph's starter Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass.) suffered a rough start, as the junior left the bottom of the first trailing 3-0. After retiring the first batter on a fly-out to left, Copan - who entered the day without a free pass in 49.1 innings pitched this spring - dealt her first base on balls of the year to freshman second baseman Courtney Fee (Port Jefferson, N.Y.). Copan then plunked the following batter – Buono – and issued her second walk of the year when junior shortstop Shannon Torosian (Stoneham, Mass.) worked a free pass to load the bases for junior designated player Alexandra Magistro (Hackettstown, N.J.), who plated Fee with a groundout to short. Delaney came up and drove in Buono with a single to right and Torosian scored on a throwing error to make it a 3-0 game.

Unfazed, the Monks responded with two runs of their own as Mayhew plated Hendrix – who led off with a single and promptly stole second – and later scored on a Ramos sacrifice fly.

Junior center fielder Brittany Rochford (Irvine, Calif.) made it a two-run contest with a solo home run to center with one out in the bottom of the second, but the Monks responded with a run on a Tripp double in the third to cut the deficit down to 4-3.

With Copan settling in, Saint Joseph's managed to plate the tying and go-ahead runs with a pair of two-out hits in the fourth. Mayhew led off the frame with a double to right field and seemed likely to be stranded, but sophomore Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) sent her scrambling home with an opposite-field triple to knot the game at four-apiece. Just 60 feet away from notching the go-ahead run, Jordan scored easily when the following batter – Shufelt – delivered the eventual game-winning hit, a single to center field.

For the visitors, Mayhew was 2-3 with a run, a double and an RBI, Jordan went 2-3 with a run, a triple and an RBI and Shufelt was 2-4 with a run and an RBI. After an uncharacteristically shaky start, Copan found her groove and allowed just three hits – all singles – over the final four frames and allowed three earned run off six hits with five K's to earn the victory.

Rochford was 2-4 with a solo home run and was Emerson's only repeat-hitter in the nightcap. Jacaruso started in the circle and took the loss after yielding five runs off eight hits with three strikeouts and Magistro worked three innings of one-hit ball with a trio of K's in relief for the Lions.

Saint Joseph's returns to action on Tuesday when the Monks travel to University of New England for a non-conference twinbill slated to start at 3:00 PM. 

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.