The Saint Anselm Hawks and Southern Connecticut Owls claimed first-round victories on Tuesday night to advance to Thursday's Northeast-10 Championship Second Round.
Saint Anselm, the No. 4 seed out of the Northeast Division, shut out third-seeded Assumption, 3-0, and will take on Pace in the first game of the NE-10 Softball Championship Weekend. The third seed from the Southwest Division, So. Connecticut topped No. 4 SW Le Moyne by a final of 5-3 and will face Stonehill next.
No. 4 NE Saint Anselm 3, No. 3 NE Assumption 0
WORCESTER, Mass. - Freshmen Megan Murrell, Shannon McLaughlin and junior Michaela Criscione each tallied an RBI as the Saint Anselm College softball team broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning en route to a 3-0 Northeast-10 Championship First Round victory over Assumption Tuesday afternoon at Marois Field.
Senior Tayla Trask, who was named an All-NE-10 Second Team pitcher earlier in the day, was outstanding in the circle for the Hawks Tuesday afternoon. In her 12th complete game of the season, she gave up just seven hits while recording eight strikeouts and issuing just one walk, improving to 11-4 on the year.
Offensively, the Hawks once again showed great balance with eight different starters tallying a hit on the afternoon. Kasey Moran kept her hot bat alive by going 3-for-3 at the plate with a sacrifice bunt that eventually led to the game-winning run. Ashley Abad went 3-for-3 for the Greyhounds in the defeat.
No. 3 SW Southern Connecticut 5, No. 4 SW Le Moyne 3
NEW HAVEN, Conn - Southern Connecticut started the scoring in the bottom of the third. Giuliana D'Arcangelo singled through the left side to score Jaime Conklin, who drew a leadoff walk. The next inning, with the bases loaded, Sarah Koerner hit a two-run double scoring Arianne Tedeschi and Kelly Mitchell and moving Conklin to third. After a pitching change, Conklin scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0 Owls.
Southern scored its fifth run in the bottom of the fifth after Leanna Feerick singled to left field. Brooke Franco hit a single to right field which was muffed by Le Moyne's Kirsten Trotta and allowed Feerick to come all the way around to score.
The Dolphins got three runs back in the top of the sixth. They loaded the bases on two walks and a single, and third baseman Kelly Mascari brought them all home with a three-run double. That was as close as they would get, though, as Kelsey Cockrill got the last five outs cleanly and picked up her 11th win of the year. She gave up three runs on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.
Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staffs at Saint Anselm and Southern Connecticut.
