STANDISH, Maine – Trailing 5-1 in the top of the seventh inning of their opening game on Friday afternoon at Saint Joseph's College, Mount Ida scored three times but were unable to complete the comeback and dropped a 5-4 decision to the Monks, who completed the sweep with a 9-0 (5 inn.) win in game two of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball doubleheader.
Game 1: Saint Joseph's 5, Mount Ida 4
Junior third baseman Gina Onorevole (Lafayette, N.J.) went 3-3 with two runs, second baseman Lucianna Medici (Riverside, R.I.) went 2-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs, and freshman catcher Emma Morton (Winchester, Mass.) added two hits in three trips in a losing effort.
Freshman pitcher Nicole Handzel (Palmer, Mass.) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and five walks while fanning three in six innings.
The Monks got on the board in the bottom of the first with a run off a Danica Gleason (South Portland, Maine) sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. Junior third baseman Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) led off the frame by working a walk, moved to second on a Connie Grovo (Limington, Maine) single, went to third when Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) executed a sac bunt, and scored when Gleason swung at the first pitch and lifted a sac fly to right field.
The 1-0 edge remained until the top of the fifth when Onorevole singled to lead off the frame and later scored on a throwing error by Saint Joseph's freshman catcher Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.), knotting the conference contest at one-apiece.
Saint Joseph's plated four runs off three hits and a pair of Mount Ida miscues in the bottom of the fifth. Junior right fielder Victoria Ramos (North Scituate, R.I.) – who reached with a single to right – and freshman center fielder Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) – who got on via a hit by pitch – moved into scoring position on a Jordan sac bunt and both scored when Grovo slammed a double down the left field line. The senior later scored on a Gleason single and sophomore Megen Pollini (Wolfeboro, N.H.), who entered as a pinch runner for Moore, crossed the plate when Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) lofted a sac fly to left, a play that lifted the hosts to a 5-1 cushion.
In the seventh inning, the Mustangs finally got to Monks pitcher Rae-Marie Copan (Newton, Mass.) when Onerevole and freshman first baseman Kaitlyn Muhlenforth (Bohemia, N.Y.) led off the inning with consecutive singles. Both runners would score two batters later when Medici doubled to left-center.
Senior center fielder Megan Hall (Danielson, Conn.), who also reached with a base hit, crossed the plate on an infield groundout to cut the Mustangs' deficit down to 5-4 with two out, but Copan got Kirsten Guerrero (Fairfield, Conn.) to pop up to second to end the game.
For the Monks, Grovo went 2-4 with a run, a double and two RBI and Gleason was 1-1 with a walk, a sac fly and a pair of RBI in the triumph. Copan, who let up four runs (three earned) off eight hits with two K's, improved to 7-0 on the season with the winning decision.
Game 2: Saint Joseph's 9, Mount Ida 0 (5 inn.)
The Mustangs were held to two hits, collected by Medici and Guerrero, and Saint Joseph's capitalized on an error to erupt for a five-run third inning.
Jordan ignited the SJC offense early, reaching with a hard-hit single down the left field line and later scoring on a Gleason single to provide the hosts with 1-0 advantage after one inning of play.
The Monks put three runs on the board off five hits in the second frame, when Grovo plated Ramos with an RBI single and later scored – along with pinch runner Marissa Hernandez (Goshen, N.Y.) – on a two-run double from Moore.
Saint Joseph's scored five runs on five hits and an error in the fifth, when Tripp and Hendrix notched RBI singles, Gleason added a run-scoring triple and Tripp and Jordan both scored on a misplayed ball to account for the five-run third and the 9-0 final.
The Mustangs tallied their pair of hits in the first inning, but left the bases loaded and did not have a base-runner for the remainder of the closing contest.
For the Monks, Gleason was 3-3 with a run, a triple and two RBI, Jordan and Grovo tallied two hits and a pair of runs apiece and Tripp went 2-3 with a run and an RBI in the convincing victory.
Making her second appearance of the season, freshman Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) tossed four innings of two-hit ball with one strikeout to earn the second win of her collegiate career. Fellow first-year Danielle Egan (Waterboro, Maine) closed with a perfect fifth inning, fanning one while throwing just nine pitches.
Muhlenforth suffered the loss in the circle for Mount Ida after yielding nine runs (six earned) off 14 hits and four walks over four innings of work.
Mount Ida (1-11, 0-4 GNAC) continues a busy weekend on Saturday when they travel to Emmanuel for a GNAC twin-bill before a home double-header on Sunday against Anna Maria at 12:00 pm.
The Monks (14-2, 6-0 GNAC) will head this way as well, as they head to Lasell for a Saturday double-header starting at 12:00 PM.