CLERMONT, Fla. – The Saint Joseph's College softball team improved to 3-1 with wins over Juniata College and Sage College on Monday. The Monks topped the Eagles, 11-2 in six innings, and blanked the Gators, 6-0, to complete the day-two sweep.

Saint Joseph's 11, Juniata 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

Saint Joseph's opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first, when freshman shortstop Meghan Elliott (Blackstone, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and raced home on a Melissa Mayhew (Hiram, Maine) single.

The 1-0 lead held until the fourth frame when the Monks blew the doors open, scoring five runs off six hits to secure a 6-0 cushion. Freshman right fielder Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine), junior third baseman Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine), and junior catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.) drove in runs and Mayhew plated a pair to help the Royal Blue stake an insurmountable lead.

Juniata found the board with two runs off two hits and an SJC error in the bottom of the fourth, but St. Joe's gained them back plus one in their next turn, as sophomore Kelsy Gaddy (Limington, Maine) tripled and scored on a Bailey single and Murphy knocked in a pair with a two-out base knock to make it a 9-2 game.

The Monks capped the game scoring with two runs off two hits in the sixth, when freshman pinch runner Danielle Pinkham (Damariscotta, Maine) scored on a wild pitch and Gaddy crossed the plate on a Murphy groundout.

LEADERS

• Murphy went 3-4 with four RBI
• Gaddy was 3-4 with three runs and a triple and also stole a base
• Mayhew added two hits and three RBI in three trips to the plate
• Harrison went 2-4 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base
• Junior center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) swiped a pair of bags and went 1-3 with two runs scored
• Bailey was 2-4 with a pair of RBI
• Freshman hurler Kristal Smith (Pittston, Maine) picked up her first collegiate victory after allowing two runs (one earned) off four hits and three walks with seven K's in five innings

NOTEWORTHY

Freshman Anita Mooradian (Windham, Maine) picked up her first collegiate hit when she led off the top of the fourth with a double to center…the one-sided tilt could have been even more daunting as the Monks stranded 10 runners in the victory.

Saint Joseph's 6, Sage 0

HOW IT HAPPENED

As it played out, the Monks scored the only run senior pitcher Erica Boulanger (Somersworth, N.H.) required in the top of the first, when Tripp led off and reached on an error and later scampered home on an Elliott base hit to right field.

For good measure, Saint Joseph's tacked on three runs off four hits and a pair of Sage miscues in the top of the second, with Bailey, freshman second baseman Katie Chadbourne (Jaffrey, N.H.), and Elliott recording RBI's to extend the Monks' lead to 4-0 through two frames.

In the top of the fifth, junior Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.) roped a two-out double to left-center and traded places with the following batter, Harrison, who sent her teammate home with a double of her own, capping the game scoring with the Monks on top, 6-0.

In a dominant performance, Boulanger faced the minimum through three frames and yielded only three hits through the first five innings.

LEADERS

• Harrison was 3-4 with a run and a double
• Elliott went 2-4 with a pair of RBI
• Boulanger finished the game having allowed four hits with four punch outs in a complete-game shutout

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Prior to this date, Saint Joseph's had never faced either Juniata or Sage in any sport.

NEXT!

The Monks have an off day tomorrow and return to action Wednesday with games against WPI (9:00 AM) and Austin (11:00 AM).

#GOMONKS

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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 474-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.