Softball Splits Doubleheader with SNHU in Conference-Opener
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Opening the Northeast-10 Conference
portion of their 2010 schedule, the Merrimack College softball team
(5-10) earned a doubleheader split with the Penmen of Southern New
Hampshire University (4-8) Friday afternoon on Volpe Field.
After dropping a 9-3 decision in game one, the Warriors bounced
back for a 7-4 victory behind 10 hits and an error-free game.
Senior captain Emily Cummings
(Andover, MA) was huge for the Warriors at the plate,
tallying three doubles on the afternoon, two of which came in the
winning effort.
“It was great to see [Emily] have a great day,” said
head coach Elaine
Schwager. “She stuck with her swing and
came through at the right times for us today.”
A first-inning home run from junior Kara Melillo (North
Andover, MA) gave the Warriors an early 3-0 lead before
classmate Rachel Lozeau
(Nashua, NH) tacked on another two runs in the second,
bringing home Cummings and senior Atlee Cahill
(Gloucester, MA) who reached with no outs.
Freshman Kelli Jo
Deardorff (Bedford, MA) picked up her third win of the
year (3-0) in 4.0 innings allowing four hits and one run.
Sophomore Alex Gallant (Salem,
NH) relieved Deardorff to pitch three innings.
Said Schwager of Deardorff, the first-year pitcher,
“it's great to see a freshman with such poise on the
mound. She and Alex [Gallant] pitched great for us in game
two.”
In the fifth inning, Cummings and senior captain Jill Bradford
(Stoneham, MA) tallied RBIs to add the run support needed
for the 7-4 final and game two win.
In the opener, the Warriors struck the ball well and mustered
nine hits, but that was no match for the Penmen's 14 base
knocks. In fact, four Penmen had multiple-hit games,
including Amanda Barton's three and as many RBIs.
“You have to give credit to Southern New Hampshire,”
said Schwager. “I think we hit the ball well, but they
played a great game all around. We were able to clean up our
defense in game two so we gave ourselves a better chance to
win.”
For the Warriors, sophomore Monique Gosselin
(Lawrence, MA) had two hits and two RBIs, while Gallant
batted a trio of singles. Gosselin's final hit of the
game was a two-out, two-run triple that cut the lead to six, but a
subsequent fly-out ended the opener, 9-3.
Merrimack returns to action tomorrow (Friday) against
UMass-Lowell for another Conference doubleheader beginning at noon
on Volpe Field.
