NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern New Hampshire softball team was defeated by No. 14 Molloy College twice in a non-conference doubleheader game on Sunday afternoon. The Penmen are now 6-4 overall, while the Lions improve to 16-4.

In the first game of the day, 10 Molloy hits would be the difference as the Penmen would fall to the Lions by a score of 4-2.

Southern New Hampshire would take an early lead in the first inning after striking out the Lions side, when Tesia Stanasek (Blackstone, Mass,) hit an RBI single to score Cristy Jenkins (Hudson, N.H.) from second base.

But the Lions would answer in the third when Victoria Gunnels hit an RBI double to score Dayna White and tie the game at 1-1 apiece. Molloy would build on the lead in the fourth on a Tracey Balinskas homerun, and once again in the fifth when Nicolette Sinagra hit an RBI triple and would continue to score on a Milan Botte double. Molloy would take a 4-1 lead heading into the final inning.

The Penmen answered in the bottom of the seventh when a leadoff homerun from freshman Lindsey Bolduc (Londonderry, N.H.) would bring the deficit to two runs, but SNHU could not convert and would lose the game 4-2.

Ali Maloof (Norwood, Mass.) would be credited with her first loss of the season while giving up 10 hits, four runs, and striking out 11 batters. Butterworth would improve to 8-1 in the circle for the Lions while striking out 12 and giving up just two runs and five hits.

In the second game of the day, the Penmen were defeated by a score of 13-7. SNHU would take an early lead in the first inning when Stanasek doubled to score Maloof, who reached on a double as well.

The Penmen would continue to score while taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Bolduc hit her second homer of the day to score Stanasek. However, the Lions would answer in the fourth on a White RBI to Brenda Lee, and the score would be 3-1 heading into the fifth.

But, three doubles, a triple, and a single would be the difference maker as Molloy recorded five hits and six runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-3 lead over the Penmen.

SNHU would answer once again in the bottom of the inning when Morgan Farmer (Kingston, N.H.) hit a two-run homerun to put the Penmen just two runs behind Molloy. The teams would trade runs in the sixth inning to make the score 8-6 heading into the final stretch.

Molloy would pull away in the seventh scoring five more runs powered by a Botte grand slam to boost its lead and to secure the win.

Dolores Mattice (Schenectady, N.Y.) would get the loss in the circle for the Penmen while pitching five innings, and Balinskas would earn the win for Molloy.

The Penmen return to action Wednesday, March 27 when they travel to Franklin Pierce for a 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader.