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Christy Wezowicz '10 |
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Kiera Walsh '11 |
NEW HAVEN, CT - The Saint Joseph's College softball
program played the team's first conference games in six years on Monday
afternoon when the Lady Monks defeated GNAC foe Albertus Magnus College
8-1 and 10-0. SJC starting pitchers SO Christy Wezowicz
(Granville, MA) and FY Kiera Walsh
(Benton, ME) were dominant on the mound as Wezowicz
struck out a career-high 12 batters in game one and Walsh
tossed a one-hitter in game two. JR Alysn Ludwig
(Waldoboro, ME) and SO Liddy van der Linden
(Worcester, MA) each collected five hits in the two game set. The
St. Joe's softball team, which has held NCAA Division III Independent
status for the last five seasons, improves to 7-5 on the season.
St. Joe's staked a 3-run lead in the top of the first inning after
Alysn Ludwig, SO Anna
Willis (Gorham, ME) and SO Jillian
Kimball (Albany TWP, ME) scored to open the game.
Ludwig scored off a van der Linden
sac fly and Willis and Kimball crossed
home plate via a Falcons misplayed ball off the bat of FY Alyssa
Dunn (Standish, ME).
The Falcons would score their only run of the day in the first inning
when cleanup hitter SR Jess Zanghi (Milford, CT) drove home SR Erin
Blake (West Haven, CT) with a double.
After the two-base knock by Zanghi, Wezowicz did
not allow a baserunner to reach until JR Jamie Bichun (Bristol, CT)
singled with two out in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Lady Monks extended their lead to 5-1 in the top of the fifth
when Alyssa Dunn hit a two out, two RBI double.
JR Kim Bechard (Lewiston, ME), JR
Liz Jordan (Sandwich, MA) and Alysn
Ludwig scored runs in the top of the sixth to help
St. Joe's take an 8-1 lead. FY Renee Leach
(Shapleigh, ME) recorded a pinch-hit RBI double in the inning.
Alysn Ludwig and Liddy
van der Linden each had 2 hits and Alyssa
Dunn registered 3 RBI's in the program's first conference
victory since the Lady Monks defeated the former Maine Athletic Conference
foe Husson College, 4-3, on April 24th 2002 in Bangor, ME.
St. Joe's struck first again in game two when offensive catalyst Alysn
Ludwig scored after a single, a stolen base and an
error by the Falcons' centerfielder. The Lady Monks would add three
more runs in the third to take a 4-0 lead with help from slugger
Liddy van der Linden, who roped a two-RBI double and later
scored on a wild pitch.
Freshman phenom Alyssa Dunn recorded
an RBI single in the fifth inning to send home van der Linden,
who reached on a single. Jillian Kimball
opened the inning with a double and scored on a miscue by the Albertus
Magnus second baseman. The Lady Monks led 6-0 through 5 innings of
play and tacked on 4 more runs in the top of the sixth to take a 10-0
lead and enforce the mercy rule. SO Kayla Soucy
(Colebrook, NH), Alysn Ludwig, Anna
Willis and Liddy van der
Linden accounted for the runs in the inning.
Although the Lady Monks' offense exploded for 10 runs and 13 hits
in the game, the real story was the pitching of freshman Kiera
Walsh. After Falcons' leadoff hitter Erin Blake led
off the bottom of first with a single, Walsh proceeded
to sit down 18 consecutive AMC batters to record a one-hitter. The
freshman hurler did not allow a base on balls and struck out 7 in
the victory to improve her season record to 4-3.
Liddy van der Linden was 3-3 with 3 runs, 3 RBI's
and a double and Alyssa Dunn was
3-3 with an RBI for St. Joe's. Alysn Ludwig
was 3-4 with a run and a stolen base, SR Megan Farrell
(Abington, MA) had an RBI single and Renee Leach
recorded a pinch-hit RBI double in the victory.
Overall, the SJC offense scored 18 runs on 19 hits in the two games.
Wezowicz and Walsh combined to record
19 strikeouts while allowing no walks and just 5 hits and the Lady
Monks' defense did not make an error in thirteen innings of play.
The Lady Monks will return to action when they play host to GNAC opponent
Daniel Webster College on Friday, 3/28. Due to field conditions, the
site and time of the game is TBD. The game information will be posted
on the SJC Athletics website when confirmation is received.
