Cahill Pitches Softball to Pair of Wins over Saint Michael's, 11-1; 5-2
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Helping the Merrimack College softball
team improve to 6-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference and 10-11
overall, senior pitcher Atlee Cahill
(Gloucester, MA) picked up a pair of wins (11-1; 5-2)
Thursday afternoon against Saint Michael's College in eight
total innings on the mound.
The Purple Knights fell to 6-12 (1-7 NE-10) with their seventh
straight loss.
“Our pitchers stepped up today and pitched exactly how
they are capable of pitching every day,” head coach
Elaine Schwager said. “I was very
happy with how the hits were distributed up and down the lineup.
It will be important for us to remain consistent on both
sides of the ball as we head into a tough weekend.”
In game one, the Warriors offense exploded for 16 hits and 11
runs, while Cahill held the Purple Knights to six hits and one run
in an abridged eight-run rule game that was called in the middle of
the fifth, 11-1.
For Merrimack, all seven batters who recorded base hits each hit
at least two in the opener. Juniors Kristen Lemay
(Shrewsbury, MA) and Rachel Lozeau
(Nashua, NH) recorded three hits and two RBIs apiece in
the onslaught. Senior Jill Bradford
(Stoneham, MA) also recorded a pair of triples while
driving in a run in game one.
In game two, the Warriors batted only half the hits they
mustered in game one, but the five runs they scored proved
sufficient. Junior Kara Melillo (North
Andover, MA) registered her second straight multi-hit
game, including her fifth double of the year.
Spelling Cahill on the mound in game two was Alex Gallant (Salem,
NH) and freshman Courtney Parker
(Bellingham, MA) who picked up her third save of the
season in a one-two-three seventh inning. Gallant allowed
only one hit and one run in 3.0 innings on the mound.
In the top of the third, Lemay hit her first home run of the
year to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead and the eventual winning run.
Beginning on Saturday, April 10th, the Warriors
embark on a six-game road trip starting with a doubleheader at
Southern Connecticut State University at 1:00pm.
