CLERMONT, Fla. -- Simmons softball moved to a 4-3 record Thursday afternoon after an 8-0 shutout of St. Lawrence University at 3:00 p.m. and a tough 4-0 loss to RPI at 7:00 p.m.

Simmons 8, St. Lawrence 0 (Five Innings):

Kyle Plimpton ran into some trouble in the second inning as she walked two batters with one out.  Christina Mulcahy (Cambridge, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice on the next at bat, but a throwing error as the Saints were attempting a double play allowed a Sharks run to score.  A single to left field from Cailin Pagel (Dorchester, Mass.) brought another run in for the Sharks to put them up 2-0. 

In the bottom of the third, Simmons' first baseman Emily Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) hit a one-out triple and then scored on Alaina DeNoncour's (Johnston, R.I.) at bat to stretch the Sharks' lead to 3-0.

In the fourth, Simmons had runners on second and third with two outs, but a defensive misread on a ball hit to left field allowed two more runs to score. DeNoncour hit an RBI single to center field, but Becky Allen came up throwing on the play, sending a strike to home plate where catcher Chelsea Cavellier tagged out King, who was trying to advance home. 

Simmons added to its lead in the fifth as Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) launched a solo homerun over the left field fence to bring the score to 7-0.  Another St. Lawrence error, followed by a single by Pagel to left field put runners on first and second. A single by Hannah Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) to center field allowed Backhaus to come around to score, giving Simmons an 8-0 lead and bringing the 8-run rule into to effect to end the game. Backhaus pitched all five innings, giving up just three hits, one walk and striking out four on the day.

RPI 4, Simmons 0:

In the second game of the day, Aimee Konet hit a double to center field in the first and crossed home plate when Gillian McCarthy hit a single to right center in the top of the first. E. Cunningham hit a double to center field but the Sharks were unable to score.

After scoreless second and third innings, Simmons pitcher Amanda Cordeiro (Fall River, Mass,) hit an infield single but the Sharks were unable to convert. The Engineers doubled their lead in the top of the fifth when Taylor Ten-Eyck hit a single to center field and later scored off a single by Jocilyn Rudisill.

The Sharks had their best opportunity in the sixth when E. Cunningham singled down the third base line and advanced to second after a DeNoncour walk. But RPI defense stayed strong to keep the Sharks scoreless.

Simmons returns to action tomorrow morning in their final game in Clermont, Fla. versus Ripon at 9:00 a.m.