Simmons Softball took both games of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) twin bill against Mount Ida College on Friday afternoon, 6-2; 14-2, in Newton, Mass. The Sharks improve to 11-9, good for second in the conference standings, moving to a GNAC slate of 8-2, while the Mustangs, who continue their slide losing their fifth and sixth contests in a row, drop to an overall record of 5-17 and slump to 1-7 in league play.
Game One
After three blank frames to start the contest, the action picked up in the top of the fourth with Simmons tallying two runs helped by two errors from Mount Ida. Following the Mustang mistakes with two on and no one out, Shark junior Amanda Gould (Fremont, N.H.) hammered a triple into deep center field plating both runners for the 2-0 advantage.
Mount Ida could not muster a run in the bottom of the frame while the visitors added two more in the top of the fifth. A leadoff single put one on followed by a very strange play in left field on an unorthodox round tripper for senior Annie Thompson (Pacific Palisades, Calif.). Thompson's fly ball looked as if it was going to be an out, but the ball tipped off the left fielder's glove and caromed over the fence for an error that awarded three bases hailing a 4-0 lead for the Sharks.
Another blank frame for the Mustangs in the bottom of the fifth gave Simmons a chance to add some runs. The Sharks capitalized plating two more to insure their lead to 6-0 that heralded on a two-out rally. Two consecutive throwing errors on one batter put one on followed by an RBI single from senior Steph Murray (Groveland, Mass.) making the score 5-0. Another Mount Ida mistake scored Murray, giving Simmons the 6-0 advantage to finish the inning.
The Mustangs were able to plate two runs in the bottom half of the sixth, starting with a double to deep left field by sophomore Devan Meeker. A ground out advanced Meeker to third and she eventually scored on a wild pitch, trailing 6-1. A Simmons error put Mount Ida freshman Kirsten Guerrero on first with two down. Junior Erica Belliveau was next, crushing a double to right field to drive in Guerrero, down 6-2. The inning would end and neither team could collect a run in the final frame giving the Sharks the 6-2 GNAC game one win.
Mount Ida hurler Meeker went all seven innings surrendering six runs, all which were earned, and seven hits adding five strikeouts and a walk. Simmons senior pitcher Courtney Collier (Bolton, Mass.) was impressive, going the distance with 11 punch outs on only three hits and one earned run.
Game Two
The Sharks tallied four runs in the opening frame that saw four hits on three singles and double for the 4-0 early advantage. The Mustangs added one run in the bottom of the set starting with a single by Meeker followed by an RBI single from Guerrero to plate the runner trailing 4-1.
Simmons scored the only run of the second inning on a Thompson home run that went way out in center field to lead 5-1.
In the top of the third inning Simmons scored five runs on four hits, including another round tripper, this time from the bat of junior Sami Hodgkins (Putney, Vt.), to bump the score to 10-1. Mount Ida was only able to plate one run in the bottom of the frame starting with a double to right field by Meeker. Guerrero followed a batter later with an RBI single to left field making it 10-2 in favor of the Sharks.
Simmons would do the rest of the scoring for the contest, all coming in the top of the fourth inning scoring four runs on five hits with the Mustangs fifth error of the contest. Four singles and a double to center field for the Sharks was how the damage was done to finish off the 14-2 GNAC win after no scoring in the fifth.
Three Sharks pitched in the final game with senior Sammi Letizio (Windham, N.H.) taking the bulk of the work giving up two runs through three innings with four K's. Mount Ida sophomore hurler Denise Picard went three frames giving up 10 hits and 10 runs, adding three fans.
The Sharks will host Emerson College on Saturday, April 9 at 12:00pm at the Rotch Playground field. The Mustangs will travel to conference foe Albertus Magnus College Saturday with game one slated for 4:00 p.m.