Softball Earns Split vs. Monks

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had three hits and three RBI as the University of Saint Joseph softball team defeated St. Joseph's College (Maine) 7-4 in the first game of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference doubleheader Sunday at West Haven High School. The Monks of SJC won the second game, 7-2.

The University of St. Joseph is 6-4 overall on the season and 1-1 in the GNAC. SJC, which was picked to win the conference in the pre-season coaches poll, is 11-3 and 3-1.

The Blue Jays opened the first game quickly with two first-inning runs despite having a runner thrown out at home. Sullivan had a two-out, two-run single to score winning pitcher Emily Hummel (Hebron, Conn.), who had walked and Ashley Gall (Stafford Springs, Conn.) who hit a double. USJ upped its lead to 3-0 when Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) hit a one-out double to right and Haley McCall (Lebanon, Conn.) had a two-out, RBI-double.

Saint Joseph's College got back in the game with a single run in the third and two in the fifth. But USJ took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth. Gall walked to lead off, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a two-out single to left-center by Mary Sciglimpaglia. USJ tacked on three more runs in the sixth on a two-run double by Gall and an RBI-single from Sullivan. McCall finished with three hits and Hummel and Gall two apiece. Hummel went the distance to improve her record on the mound to 4-0.

The Monks scored four fifth-inning runs and three in the sixth and outhit the Blue Jays, 13-6 to win the late game. Hummel had an RBI-single in the fourth inning and Emily Vigue (Lebanon, Conn.) an RBI-double in the fifth for the USJ runs. Stephanie Valerio (Wolcott, Conn.) had two hits for USJ.

USJ next plays at Bay Path, Tue. March 26 in a 3 p.m. non-conference doubleheader.