Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Southern New Hampshire University softball team split with Bentley by scores of 4-7, and 2-1 Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference play. The Penmen improve to 21-12 overall and 10-8 in the league, while the Falcons are now 16-14 overall and 10-10 in conference play.
A Linsdey Bolduc (Londonderry, N.H.) walk-off double gave the Penmen the win in nine innings in the second game, and was head coach Deb Robitaille's 200th career win.
In the first game of the day, both teams exchanged runs in the first inning. Bentley scored after a lead-off double and an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning. However, the Penmen answered in the bottom of the first when Natalie Metta (Norwood, Mass.) hit her first homerun of her career on senior day to tie the game at 1-1.
SNHU built on its run total in the second inning after Katie Caruso (Newton, Mass.) led-off with a solo homerun to left center to take a 2-1 lead. With two outs and a runner on first, the Penmen worked two Falcons' errors to score one more run and take a 3-1 lead out of the second.
However, Bentley answered in the top of the fifth scoring three runs on two hits and two Penmen errors to go up 4-3.
Two more Falcons' runs in the top of the sixth gave them a 6-3 advantage over Southern New Hampshire, but the hosts answered again in the bottom of the inning when Jessica Torsiello (Morris Plains, N.J.) scored on a Bentley error to cut the deficit to two at 6-4.
The Penmen were unable to come up with any runs in the seventh as the visitors scored an insurance run in the top of the inning to take the game at 7-4.
Dolores Mattice (Schenectady, N.Y.) had five strikeouts in 5.1 innings for the Penmen while giving up seven hits and six runs. Kelsey Smith earned the win in the circle for Bentley allowing one run on four hits, and striking out three.
In the second game of the day, the Penmen held a 1-0 lead until the final inning to force extras.
Ali Maloof (Norwood, Mass.) had a no-hitter into the fourth inning, as SNHU scored its lone run in the bottom of the fourth on a Cara Daly (Plainville, Mass.) solo homerun to center field.
The next two innings were scoreless heading into the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Bentley's McDonough homered to left field to tie the game up at 1-1.
The Penmen did not come up with an answer in the bottom of the seventh, and extra innings were forced.
Neither team scored in the eighth, and despite a lead-off single to get one on base in the top of the ninth, SNHU put away Bentley to go into the bottom of the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Mo Hannan (Scarborough, Maine) singled up the middle to get on base. Caruso followed with a single to the same spot to move Hannan, and Bolduc followed with a monster hit off the center field wall to score the game winning run in walk-off fashion.
Maloof went nine innings giving up just three hits and one run while striking out 10. DeVito got the loss in the circle for Bentley pitching 4.2 innings allowing six hits, one run, and putting away four batters.
The Penmen return to action Monday, April 21 when they travel to Saint Michael's for a league doubleheader starting at 11:30 a.m.
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter (@snhupenmen), Facebook (www.facebook.com/snhupenmen), Youtube (www.youtube.com/snhupenmen) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/snhupenmen).
