MANCHESTER, N.H.—The Southern New Hampshire University softball team halved a doubleheader with the Warriors of Merrimack College on Friday afternoon, winning the opener 3-2 before falling 4-3 in the nightcap in Northeast-10 Conference action. With the games, the Penmen set their record at 6-15 overall and 5-3 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while the Warriors improve to 9-10 and 4-2 in league play.
The first half of game one was a battle between SNHU pitcher Kelsey Griffin (Scarborough, Maine) and Merrimack pitcher Kelli Jo Deardorff as neither sacrificed a run until the fourth inning, when Merrimack's Kara Mellilo hit a solo homerun to take the 1-0 lead. The Penmen would answer in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homerun by Elena Anderson (Salem, Wisc.).
Anderson would score again in the bottom of the sixth after hitting a single, advancing to third on a double by Morgan Farmer (Kingston, N.H.), and scoring on a single to left field by Melissa Vitagliano (Bedford, N.H.). Down by two entering the top of the seventh, the Warriors' pinch-hitter Keaira Monet Perry connected for a solo homerun to make it 3-2, but the Warriors were unable to tie the game.
Griffin earned her fourth-straight win in the circle, sacrificing six hits and two runs while striking out eight and walking one.
Dolores Mattice (Schenectady, N.Y.) started game two in the circle and pitched 1.1 innings before giving way to Katie Raymond (Munson, Mass.) who sacrificed five hits and two runs while striking out three in the loss.
Amanda Barton (Franklin, N.H.) led the Penmen in the nightcap with three hits, while Kate Stanley (Kingston, Mass.) and Jessica Douillette (Concord, N.H.) both finished with two. The Penmen, who were down 2-0 after two innings of play, posted a three-run comeback in the bottom of the sixth inning, but allowed the Warriors to tack on two more runs in the top of the seventh to take a 4-3 lead.
The Penmen loaded the bases with no outs in their last at-bat, but could not capitalize as they saw back-to-back strike outs and a pop-up foul ball to the Merrimack catcher to end the game.
Southern New Hampshire returns to action tomorrow for day two of home softball action from Penmen field, facing the Le Moyne College Dolphins in Northeast-10 play. Game one is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
