Softball Falls in Series Finale to #24 SNHU, 5-1
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College softball team dropped its series finale with No. 24 Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday, 5-1. The Penmen scored three runs by means of the long ball before adding unearned runs in the fifth and seventh to clinch the season series.
The Basics
Score: #24 Southern N.H. 5, Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (16-23, 9-12 NE-10) | #24 Southern N.H. (25-6, 14-3 NE-10)
Location: Warrior Softball Diamond | North Andover, Mass.
NE-10 Championship Outlook
Top-four in division qualify; divisional records shown
- SNHU 14-3
- St. Anselm 11-5
- Stonehill 9-6
- Assumption 9-9
- Merrimack 8-9 Won H2H vs. BU, FPU, SMC; Lost H2H vs. AC, STO
- Bentley 7-8
#3 hosts #4 in single-elimination First Round Tuesday, 4/30
How It Happened
Facing reigning NE-10 Player of the Year Ali Maloof, who ranked in the conference's top-five in wins, ERA and strikeouts coming into the day, the Warriors were held to six hits over seven innings but were in contention throughout Wednesday's matchup.
The Penmen grabbed a two-run lead after Holly Eicher cracked a two-run home run to left center field in the top of the second, and then Sarah Lavallee snuck a line drove homer over the wall in left to increase the lead to 3-0 in the fourth.
Sophomore Haley Currie (Burlington, Mass.) answered with her second run of the season in the home half of the frame to make it a two-run game, but the Penmen added an unearned run in the top of the fifth to go back up by three (4-1).
The Warriors had two runners on in the fifth after a walk and a single and brought the tying run to the plate, but Maloof managed to get out of the jam. Currie helped the cause with a leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth but was stranded at third to keep the deficit at three heading to the seventh.
Two of Merrimack's five errors came in the top of the seventh to allow the Penmen to get another run; freshman Courtney Zambello (Sharon, Mass.) escaped further trouble by getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the frame with the bases loaded.
In the home half of the seventh, Merrimack singled and drew a walk with two outs, but Maloof used a strikeout to extinguish the rally and give the Penmen the season series with a 5-1 victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Currie had two of Merrimack's six hits, and both went for extra bases; sophomore Mariah Tenney (Winchendon, Mass.) also had a two-hit afternoon for the Warriors
- Junior Alexis Perry (Westford, Vt.) started and fell to 6-7 after surrendering three earned runs (four total) over four innings with a strikeout and six hits allowed
- Zambello tossed three innings with no earned runs, three strikeouts and three hits against
- Maloof fanned eight while surrendering an earned run and six hits with three walks to improve to 16-1 for the Penmen
- Merrimack finished 1-for-7 with RISP, while the Penmen went 2-for-11
Up Next
Merrimack begins its final four-game weekend of the season with a home bout against Saint Anselm on Friday (April 24) at 4 p.m.
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