MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior Ali Maloof (Norwood, Mass.) fired a one-hit shutout as second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University blanked No. 7 seed Saint Anselm College 3-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Softball Championship East Regional Friday afternoon at Penmen Field.  The Penmen, winners of 11 straight, improve to 32-6 and face sixth-seeded LIU Post, a 2-0 winner over Queens (N.Y.) College, Saturday at 11:30 am, while the Hawks, now 22-13, face Queens in a 2:00 pm elimination game.

Maloof allowed just one hit, a fourth-inning bloop single by Hannah Byrne, and a total of four baserunners, as she walked two and hit a batter.  She struck out 12, one shy of her season high, and improved to 21-1 on the season.

Southern New Hampshire staked itself to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  Mo Hannan (Scarborough, Maine) singled, followed by Maloof reaching on an error to give the Penmen runners at second and third.  Katie Caruso (Newton, Mass.) grounded out, plating Hannan, while Maloof scored on a bunt single by Lindsey Bolduc (Londonderry, N.H.).

The Penmen grabbed an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as the Penmen loaded the bases.  Erin Morrissey (Commack, N.Y.) grounded out with the bases full to plate pinch runner Skylar Shugrue (Worcester, Mass.), who was running for Bolduc after she worked a one-out walk.

Hannan had two of SNHU's four hits on the afternoon, while Bolduc and Holly Eicher (Stoneham, Mass.) registering the other two.  Maloof did see a 23-game hit streak snapped, going 0-3 on the day.  Saint Anselm starter Tayla Trask took the loss, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out four and walking four.

SNHU and LIU Post did not meet during the regular season, but did meet twice in last year's NCAA Regional, with the Pioneers, the eventual East Region champions, taking a pair of extra inning victories.

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