Softball Earns Split at Saint Anselm as Gosselin Falls Single Shy of Cycle
MANCHESTER, NH– Snapping a three-game win streak, the
Merrimack College softball team (8-11, 4-2 NE-10) dropped the
opener but won the nightcap on the road against Saint Anselm
College Wednesday afternoon in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Merrimack took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning
and a 3-2 lead into the sixth, but eight straight Hawks scores gave
the home team game number one.
Sophomore Monique Gosselin (Lawrence, MA) came
up a single shy of the cycle as she belted a home run in the
seventh to bring the Warriors within three, but the lead was too
much to overcome and Saint Anselm won their second Conference
contest of the year, 9-6, to improve to 2-3 in the Northeast-10.
Going 4-for-7 with six RBIs on the day, Gosselin improved her
batting average to a team-leading .439 and .877 slugging percentage
with all four of her hits being of the extra-base type.
In the game, Merrimack did not commit an error and registered
eight hits, but 14 hits and an error-free outing from the Hawks
left the Warriors short-sided.
“I like the way our team is hitting the ball,” said
head coach Elaine Schwager. “Our
defense is starting to pick up, but we have to limit the
opposition's offense whenever possible. Again,
consistency is what will allow us to sweep more of these
doubleheaders and cover some ground in the Conference.”
In game two, a three-hit, five-run third inning was all the
Warriors needed for a 5-4 win in the nightcap. After falling
behind 3-0, Merrimack's Gosselin smacked a base-clearing
double to start the flood of runs. Senior Casey
Conetta (Darien, CT) added to the scoring spree with a
two-run shot that scored Gosselin from second.
Sophomore Alex Gallant (Salem, NH) picked up
her third win of the year in 6.0 innings, while allowing three
earned runs and striking out six. Freshman Courtney
Parker (Bellingham, MA) pitched the bottom of the seventh
and held the Hawks hitless to pick up her second save of the year.
The Warriors are back in action on Thursday when they host Saint
Michael's College (6-10, 1-5 NE-10) at Volpe Field for a
3:00pm doubleheader.
