Seven Straight For Softball, Take First Place In GNAC South

NEWTON, Mass. — It's safe to say the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) softball team is on a bit of tear, taking their third straight softball sweep, this time over Lasell College (LC) on Taylor Field Saturday.

The Blue Jays (16-12, 5-1) have made it seven straight wins, and have taken first place in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) South Division. The Lasers (3-21, 0-6) are still fighting to get things going in conference play. 

GAME 1

In game one, Saint Joe's broke free with a four-run fifth inning, taking complete control in route to a 5-1 victory. 

Junior designated player McKenna Driscoll (Bristol, Conn.) hit a big two-RBI double to give the Blue Jays a commanding lead. Senior third baseman Kara Klimaszewski (Naugatuck, Conn.) finished 3-for-4 with three singles and an RBI. Junior pitcher Amaria Sharon (Tolland, Conn.) put the exclamation point on the win with a solo home run in the seventh (2). Junior catcher Arianna Genovese (Rocky Hill, Conn.) led the way for the Lasers with two singles and an RBI.

Sharon was solid on the mound all around, allowing just one run on five hits in a complete game (6-4). Sophomore pitcher Hannah Doherty (Hampton, N.H.) took the loss (1-7), allowing four runs (0 ER) on seven hits in four and two thirds.

The Lasers struck first with an RBI single from Genovese, taking a 1-0 lead. Both pitchers mowed them down one at a time until the Blue Jays finally broke through with a two-out rally in the fifth. After a walk and an error, Klimaszewski singled up the middle to tie the game. Senior shortstop Isabella Russo (Southington, Conn.) followed it up with another RBI single. Up 2-1 and looking for more, Driscoll slammed a ball down the left field line, scoring two to give USJ a 4-1 lead. Sharon's solo shot topped off a 5-1 victory, the sixth in a row for the Blue Jays. 

GAME 2

In game two, the heavy hitters in the Blue Jays' lineup once again stepped up when it mattered most, defeating the Lancers 4-1 to sweep the day.

Driscoll finished 3-for-4 with a team leading third home run of the season. Sharon hit 2-for-3 with a double, while Klimaszewski hit another double, scoring Sharon. Sophomore pitcher Hailey Haskins (Franklin, N.H.) finished 2-for-3, hitting an RBI triple in the second inning.

Sophomore pitcher Alessandra Milardo (Plantsville, Conn.) picked up the win (3-5), allowing one run on six hits in a complete seven innings. Haskins was dealt the loss (2-8), allowing four runs on 11 hits in seven innings.

Haskins' triple cut the USJ lead in half, 2-1 after two innings. Milardo and Haskins kept the game tight until the sixth, when the Blue Jays once again capitalized in a two-out rally. Back-to-back doubles by Sharon and Klimaszewski gave USJ a 3-1 lead. One inning later, Driscoll matched Sharon's long ball from game one with one of her own (and in the same inning too), serving as an insurance run, as Milardo took care of things in the seventh to end the day with a doubleheader sweep.

Up Next
USJ will return to action in another GNAC doubleheader on Sunday, April 14, at 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. against Suffolk (MA). Lasell is home for another doubleheader also on Sunday, at 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. against Regis (MA).

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