Softball Comes Back for Split with Simmons

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwich, Conn.) had four hits on the day and pitched a complete game victory to help the University of Saint Joseph defeat Simmons 6-2 in the second game of a doubleheader as the Blue Jays salvaged a split at home.

Simmons won the opener, 4-2. Saint Joseph is 9-5 overall on the season and 2-2 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Simmons is 6-4 overall and 1-1 in the league.

USJ seniors Emily Hummel (Hebron, Conn.) and Stephanie Valerio (Wolcott, Conn.) each had three hits on the day for the Blue Jays.

Hummel (5-1, 3.28 ERA), the first game pitcher, scattered nine hits and struck out three, but three Blue Jay errors led to three unearned runs. Patti Sciglimpaglia had an RBI-triple in the second inning for USJ and Sarah Miller (Southington, Conn.) an RBI-single in the sixth, but four third-inning runs for Simmons in the third was the difference. Erin Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) had a two-run double in the rally and Heather White (Westfield, Mass.) and Christina Mulcahy (Cambridge, Mass.) had run-scoring singles.

Patti Sciglimpaglia allowed six singles, one walk, two unearned runs and struck out four to earn her fourth win of the season in the late game. After Simmons took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning, USJ answered with three in the home half. Hummel and Ashley Gall (Stafford Springs, Conn.) had RBI-singles and Hummel scored on a throwing error following Gall's hit. St. Joseph scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings for the final margin. Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had an RBI-single in the fifth.

"After losing a close, hard-fought battle, it was great to see us keep focused and win the second game," USJ coach Jim McKinnon said. "I was very proud of how the team played."

St. Joseph hosts Johnson & Wales Sat. March 30 in a GNAC doubleheader beginning at 1:30 p.m.