Softball Swept in GNAC Doubleheader Against Monks

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Mitchell College softball team suffered a setback at the hands of Saint Joseph's College (ME) on Tuesday night, as the Mariners dropped both games of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader played at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Rooftop Field.

The Monks used a four-run first inning in the opener to build a lead which Mitchell was unable to catch, winning 8-2, before riding a dominant performance from starting pitcher Lydia Goodnough to a 7-0 shutout of the Mariners in game two.

The Mariners (13-15, 9-3 GNAC) will look to rebound on Thursday, April 25th, when they visit Rhode Island for a GNAC doubleheader against Johnson & Wales University, which is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm. The Monks (13-14, 9-3 GNAC) jump right back into action on Wednesday, April 23rd, when they host the University of New England for a pair of non-conference games.

Game 1 – SJC 8, Mitchell 2

Junior Mollie Varreault wasted no time giving the Monks the lead in the opener, leading off the bottom of the first with a solo home run. Kryslin Stearns laced a two-run double three batters later, while Hannah Gosselin and Charlotte Cloutier drew back to back bases loaded walks to give SJC a 4-0 advantage after one inning of play. Kryslin Stearns finished the day 2-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Cloutier went 2-2 at the dish, driving in two and walking once.

The Monks added another run in the second inning and two more in the third, chasing Mitchell starting pitcher Katelyn Lipsky (Plantsville, Conn.) from the contest. The senior right handed pitcher lasted just two inning and surrendered seven runs (five earned), dropping her record to 7-5 on the spring.

Mitchell scored twice in the top of the fifth off of SCJ starting pitcher Madison Pelletier; the first run on an RBI groundout off the bat of freshman Haley Westfal (La Habra, Cali.), and the second on a run scoring single by sophomore Cassandra Roman (New London, Conn.). Senior Jenna Bennett (Shelton, Conn.) registered a team-high two hits for the Mariners, and sophomore Olivia DeCicco (Haverhill, Mass.) had a double.

Pelletier picked up the win in the circle for the Monks, pitching a seven-inning complete game, surrendering just five hits and two runs, striking out five.

Game 2 – SJC 7, Mitchell 1

The second game of the doubleheader was a pitcher's duel early on, as Mitchell junior Emily Reynolds (Somers, Conn.) and Lydia Goodnough matched zeros across three scoreless frames.

Chantelle Bouchard snapped a scoreless tie with a solo homer in the fourth inning, and the Monks followed that up with three runs in the fifth, and three more in the sixth. The Mariners scored their lone run of the game when Jenna Bennett drove home senior Hannah Lemke (East Haddam, Conn.) on a single to left-centerfield in the top of the seventh.

Goodnough went the distance for the Monks, scattering four hits and three walks across seven one-run innings. Sadie Tirrell had two hits, including a triple, along with two RBI and a pair of runs scored for SJC, while Mollie Verreault, Sylvia Foley, and Kryslin Stearns tallied two hits apiece.

Bennett went 1-4 and drove in one run Mitchell. Hannah Lemke was 1-3 with a double and a run scored, and juniors Emma LaBreck (Rollinsford, N.H.) and Emily Reynolds each had a hit.

Renyolds allowed 11 hits and seven runs across in six innings in the circle.