Two big innings lead St. Joseph’s sweep of Eagles Monks’ victory streak at eight

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BANGOR – The Saint Joseph’s College softball team entered Friday afternoon’s doubleheader against Husson College with a six-game winning streak and a lot of confidence.

Two big innings – one in each game at the O’Keefe Complex – gave the Monks of Standish even more of a boost.

Saint Joseph’s scored six runs in the first inning of the opener for an 11-2 win and put seven on the board in the second inning of the nightcap, emerging with an 11-0 victory. Both games went five innings because of the eight-run rule.

High-scoring innings are a bit new to the Monks, but they’ve coincided with the team’s recent run. Their streak is now at eight straight with a 14-10 record.

“We had been struggling and not scoring many runs,” said pitcher Colleen Delahanty, a junior from Warren who tossed a one-hitter in the second game. “But we’ve really pulled it together as a team. That’s why we’re winning.”

Husson fell to 4-17.

In the second game, the Monks hit four straight singles to open the second inning, but the big hit of the frame belonged to Gabrielle Burrola, who pitched the Monks to the win in the opener.

Burrola sliced a bases-loaded triple down the left field line, driving in three runs. Burrola then scored herself on a Husson throwing error.

Leanne Morton and Deb Drown, both of Gorham, had RBI singles in the inning.

Saint Joseph’s added two more runs each in the third and fourth innings. Eight of the Monks’ nine batters had at least one hit against Husson pitcher Erika Veinote of Hampden.

“Everything looked good coming in,” said Auburn’s Jamie Morrison, a Saint Joseph’s junior who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs as the No. 7 hitter. “[Veinote] was leaving the ball over the plate a lot.”

Husson’s only hit came in the first inning when leadoff batter Shawna Bell of Corinth tripled to right, but the Eagles followed with three flyouts to end the inning.

Delahanty retired 13 in a row before giving up a one-out walk to pinch hitter Nicole Daniel of Hudson in the fifth inning. Delahanty ended the game with a strikeout and a putout, but it wasn’t easy for her.

“[The umpire] wasn’t giving me anything low today, and I’m a low pitcher, so I had to bring it up,” she said.

Both Burrola and Delahanty relied on the Monks’ defense. Burrola scattered five hits and struck out one while the Monk defense recorded 14 outs. Delahanty fanned two and got 13 outs from the defense.

Delahanty needed the help as the Eagles hit the ball hard into the outfield.

“We started putting the bat on the ball, making solid contact, but … the ball was going right to them,” Husson coach Charlie Hamel said. “I think it was just a matter of us being focused. We just wanted to come back and play some decent ball [in the second game].”

In the first game, the Monks opened with five singles and six runs in the first inning en route to 13 hits, which they managed to do in both games.

Drown had another fine game, driving in three runs on two hits, while Morton hit two singles and added two RBIs.

The Monks also took advantage of five walks and two batters were hit by pitches.

Lindsay Mitchell of Kenduskeag led the Eagles with two singles. Husson got both of its runs in the fourth as Sabrina Sevigny of Sanford and Nikita Colgan hit back-to-back singles and both scored on a Saint Joseph’s throwing error.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Monks’ big inning.

“It’s tough to recover from that, it really is,” Hamel said. “Especially against a quality team like Saint Joe’s.”

MONKS 11, EAGLES 2

(First Game)

Saint Joseph’s Husson

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Albert, lf 3 2 2 0 Bell, lf 2 0 0

Ludwig, cf 2 2 1 0 Manzo, 2b 2 0 0

Burrola, p 3 1 1 1 McAvoy, ss 2 0 0

Farrell, 1b 3 0 0 0 Pruett, 1b 3 0 0

Ackley, 1b 1 1 1 0 Rollins, 3b 3 0 0

McKenney, ss 2 1 1 0 Porter, p 1 0 0

Morton, 3b 3 1 2 2 Paschal, p 1 0 0

Roy, 2b 4 2 2 1 Colgan, rf 2 1 0

Daugherty, c 2 0 0 1 Sevigny, c 2 1 0

Cushman, c 1 0 1 0 Mitchell, cf 2 0 0

Drown, rf 3 1 2 3

Guimond, rf 0 0 0 0

Totals 27 11 13 8 Totals 20 2 5 0

Saint Joseph’s 603 11 – 11

Husson 000 20 – 2

E-Ludwig, Daugherty; LOB-Saint Joseph’s 8, Husson 6; 2B-Roy; DP-McAvoy-Manzo-Pruett; SB-Drown

Saint Joseph’s IP H R ER BB SO

Burrola (W, 7-5) 5 5 2 0 2 1

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Porter (L, 0-2) 2 1/3 7 8 6 3 0

Paschal 2 2/3 6 3 3 2 0

HBP-Burrola, McKenney (by Porter); Bell (by Burrola); WP-Burrola; PB-Sevigny; T-1:25; ATT-100 (est.)

MONKS 11, EAGLES 0

(Second Game)

Saint Joseph’s (14-10) Husson (4-17)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Albert, lf 4 1 2 0 Bell, lf 2 0 0

Ludwig, cf 2 0 1 1 Manzo, 2b 2 0 0

Burrola, 2b 4 1 1 3 McAvoy, ss 2 0 0

Bechard, dh 3 2 2 0 Pruett, 1b 2 0 0

Ackley, dh 1 0 0 0 Rollins, 3b 2 0 0

McKenney, ss 3 2 2 0 Mitchell, cf 1 0 0

Roy, ss 0 0 0 0 Daniel, ph 0 0 0

Morton, 3b 2 2 1 1 Nason, rf 2 0 0

Guimond, 3b 1 0 0 0 Sevigny, c 2 0 0

Morrison, 1b 3 1 3 3 Colgan, dh 1 0 0

Grindle, c 2 1 0 0

Drown, rf 1 1 1 1

Piela, rf 1 0 0 0

Totals 27 11 13 9 Totals 16 0 1 0

Saint Joseph’s 072 20 – 11

Husson 000 00 – 0

E-Mitchell 2, McAvoy; LOB-Saint Joseph’s 7, Husson 2; 2B-Morrison; 3B-Burrola; Bell; DP-Rollins-Pruett

Saint Joseph’s IP H R ER BB SO

Delahanty (W, 7-5) 5 1 0 0 1 2

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Veinot (L, 0-3) 5 13 11 9 3 4

HBP-Ludwig, Grindle, Drown (by Veinot); PB-Sevigny; T-1:13; ATT-100 (est.)