STANDISH, Maine (4/29/17) – Senior Erin Smith (Gorham, Maine) recorded her 100th career hit in the latter half of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader with St. Joseph's Maine on Saturday afternoon. The senior reached the milestone in the fourth inning, on a deep single to right field.
The Lasers fell to the Monks 2-0 and 6-0 in the afternoon twinbill, and will close out the season tomorrow, May 30 against Norwich University in honor of the four graduating seniors. First pitch between the Lasers and the Cadets is set for 12:00 p.m. on Taylor Field.
Game One – St. Joe's: 2 Lasell: 0
Senior pitcher Krystel Enko (Haydenville, Mass.) pitched the full six innings without yielding a single earned run. Lasell's three-hit attack was led by Arianna Genovese (Rocky Hill, Conn.), who went 2-for-3, while classmate Victoria Spellman (Rocky Hill, Conn.) poked a single as well.
The Monks combined for seven hits in their eight straight victory with two apiece from Mariah Harrison (Buxton, Maine) and Casidee Couture (Jay, Maine).
One inning was all it took, as the hosts grabbed a 2-0 lead in their first at bats. Carla Tripp (Lovell, Maine) set the tone on a leadoff single, and came around to score on a miscue by Lasell's second baseman on Libby Pomerleau's (Saco, Maine) at bat. Enko caught Meghan Elliot (Blackstone, Mass.) looking for one down, before Pomerleau reached third on a base hit to center by Jennifer Murphy (Andover, Mass.). Pomerleau crossed home on the next play, as Lasell tossed Murphy out on a fielder's choice from Melodie Bailey (Lebanon, Maine) for the 2-0 score.
Monks pitcher Kylie McFadden (Dover, N.H.) used three strikeouts to earn her 10th win of the season, scattering just two hits in 5.2 innings tossed. Kate Whitney (Jonesboro, Maine) took over for 1.1 innings, allowing a single hit while fanning two batters.
Game Two – St. Joe's: 6 Lasell: 0
Despite the outcome, the Lasers swung into nine hits, highlighted by Smith's 100th in the fourth. Smith went 2-for-3 from the plate, joining Nicole Arcese (Holliston, Mass.), who knocked two base hits as well. Spellman hit .500 in the nightcap, going 3-for-3 while working a walk in the effort.
St. Joe's held on to its heavy bats in the nightcap on 11 hits, with two Monks swinging into extra base knocks in a double from Tripp and a triple from Bailey. Harrison, Murphy, and Bailey each had two hits in the win, while Tripp, Danielle Pinkham (Damariscotta, Maine), Pomerleau, Kaylee Burns (Saco, Maine) and Anita Mooradian recorded a single.
A five-hit, five run third put the Monks out of reach, as Harrison stepped up to bat after Tripp and Pomerleau reached on a double and bunt single, respectively. An outfield miscue from Lasell drove in Tripp, where the Monks ignited the four-run charge with just one out. A burns groundout to second finally gave Lasell one down, as the scoreboard read 5-0 after Arcese retired the side.
Arcese struck out two batters, allowing six earned runs to cross, and drops to 3-12 this season. Monks pitcher Caitlyn King (Old Town, Maine) allowed no runs to score in six innings pitched, before Katelyn Olsen (Hartford, Maine) pitched an inning of relief.