Assumption and Saint Anselm Advance to NE10 Semifinal.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - No. 6 Assumption upset No. 3 Franklin Pierce and No. 4 Saint Anselm defeated No. 8 Southern New Hampshire to advance to the semifinal round of the 2023 Northeast-10 Conference Softball Championship in Garden City, N.Y. Thursday afternoon.
After a rain delay, No. 6 Assumption upset No. 3 Franklin Pierce with a seven-run fifth inning. In the second game of the day, No. 4 Saint Anselm battled with two runs in the first inning to hold on with a 2-1 victory over No. 8 Southern New Hampshire. Semifinal action will get underway Friday, May 5th, starting with No. 1 Adelphi vs. No. 4 Saint Anselm at 12 p.m. - a re-match of the 2022 championship final - followed by No. 2 Bentley vs. No. 6 Assumption at 2:30 p.m.
#6 Assumption 8, #3 Franklin Pierce 2 – Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - For the second-straight game, the No. 6 seed Assumption University softball team used a huge fifth inning to pull away, as the Greyhounds completed the upset of the No. 3 seed Franklin Pierce University 8-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Second Round at Janet L. Ficke Field on the campus of Adelphi University Thursday afternoon.
Mackenzie Bruggeman helped blow the game open at the top of the fifth. She launched a two-run shot over the left field fence for her sixth homerun on the year to give the Hounds a 3-0 lead. Assumption added more as Emma Bloom crushed a double down the line, scoring Larson and Jaiden Tonucci to add two more to the lead. The fifth proved to be a massive inning for the Greyhounds as Dwyer followed up the double with a triple, scoring Bloom. Geremia reached on a fielder's choice, and Dwyer made it home from third base. Finally, the Ravens got that third out but trailed 7-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Franklin Pierce got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as they plated two runs in the frame, with one run being cut down at the plate while trying to get out of a pickle situation. After a scoreless sixth, Larson reached on a bunt single before advancing to third on a stolen base and a fielder's choice. She would eventually score on a passed ball, making it 8-2 Assumption.
#4 Saint Anselm 2, #8 Southern New Hampshire 1 – Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Saint Anselm College softball team advanced to the semifinal round of the Northeast-10 Conference Softball Championship with a 2-1 win over the eighth-seed Southern New Hampshire University on Thursday from the campus of Adelphi University.
The Hawks would push across two runs in the bottom half of the first frame. Caputo led off with a single before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Stephanie Tardugno (Methuen, Mass.). A single from O'Hara put runners on the corner which allowed Fitzpatrick to bring home the first run of the contest on a double to right center field. The Hawks would add a second run on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Sam Wiberg (Exeter, N.H.).
Southern New Hampshire would cross the plate in the top of the fifth inning. A pair of singles put runners on the corners and a base hit from Alyssa DiMauro would score Abby Hagerty who pinch ran for Gianna LaSpina who led off the frame with a single. Hicks managed to limit the damage and she got a fielder's choice and pop out to end the inning.
The Penmen did get a baserunner in the top of the seventh on a fielding error but Hicks rolled a ground ball to close the game and advance Saint Anselm into the Semifinal Round of the NE10 Softball Championship.
NE10 Softball Championship
1. Adelphi (21-3)
2. Bentley (18-5-1)
3. Franklin Pierce (16-8)
4. Saint Anselm (15-8-1)
5. Pace (15-9) *
6. Assumption (13-11)
7. Le Moyne (12-12) *
8. Southern New Hampshire (12-12) *
*Le Moyne, Southern New Hampshire & New Haven all finished with a 12-12 record. Within the mini-conference, Le Moyne was 3-1, SNHU was 2-2 and New Haven was 1-3. Le Moyne earns the #7 seed and Southern New Hampshire earns the #8 seed.
Tuesday, May 2nd
First Round Games
Game 1: #8 Southern New Hampshire 3, #5 Pace 2
Game 2: #6 Assumption 3, #7 Le Moyne 2
Thursday, May 4th (at Adelphi)
Game 3: #6 Assumption 8, #3 Franklin Pierce 2
Game 4: #4 Saint Anselm 2, #8 Southern New Hampshire 1
Friday, May 5th (at Adelphi)
Game 5: #4 Saint Anselm vs. #1 Adelphi - 12:00 PM
Game 6: #6 Assumption vs. #2 Bentley - 2:30 PM
Saturday, May 6th (at Adelphi)
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 13 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
