CLERMONT, Fla. -- Simmons senior Cailin Pagel (Dorchester, Mass.) hit a walk off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Sharks over the Ripon College Red Hawks, 2-1 on the final day of spring training in Clermont, Fla.
The Sharks (5-3) took their first lead of the game when pitcher Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the second. Ripon (5-5) then tied things up in the top of the third when Stephanie Rieuwpassa singled to right, scoring Beth Ebben from second base.
In the bottom of the third, Simmons had another opportunity when Emily Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) hit a single to centerfield to advance Hannah Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) to third but the Sharks were unable to convert.
A pitching duel ensued in the fourth and fifth as Backhaus struck out three and Rieuwpassa and the Red Hawks defense took care of the Sharks at the plate.
In the top of the sixth Ripon had runners at first and third with one out but Simmons catcher Victoria Luongo (Medford, Mass.) made a stellar catch off a Red Hawks bunt and Pagel caught a fly ball by Jordan Hester to end the inning without a run.
The Sharks defense took the field in the bottom of the seventh with the score still tied at one. Backhaus made the first two outs as Mallary Nissen hit a pop up and Emily Stacker struck out swinging. Pagel took care of the final out, catching a fly ball just past second base.
In their last at bat, Backhaus walked before Christina Mulcahy (Cambridge, Mass.) hit a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to advance Backhaus to second. With the winning run in scoring position, Pagel stepped up to the plate and drilled a single to right center to score Backhaus and lift the Sharks to 2-1 victory.
Simmons returns to action on Tuesday, March 19th for a doubleheader at MIT beginning at 3:30 p.m.
