BOSTON, Mass. – Simmons Softball pulled off a split with neighboring Emmanuel College on Friday night in a Colleges of the Fenway rivalry played under the lights at Roberto Clemente Field.  The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) double-header featured the Sharks capturing a 5-0 shutout win in game one, before the Saints rallied for a 5-4 win in the nightcap. The split moves the Sharks to 12-5 overall and 5-2 in the league, while the Saints stand at 8-14 on the season and 3-7 in GNAC play.

Game One:
The Sharks got on the board early, scoring one run in the top of the first.  Sophomore shortstop Hannah Cunningham (Cotuit, Mass.) led off with a single and was driven in by Alaina DeNoncour (Johnston, R.I.), as Simmons took a 1-0 lead.  

The Saints were held scoreless throughout, despite a lead-off double from freshman shortstop Catherine Davis and a single to follow by junior Jennifer Garrity in the bottom of the first.  Senior pitcher Kelly Lloid led off with a single in the bottom of the fourth, but the Saints couldn't bring her around to score.  These would be Emmanuel's only three hits of the game.

The Sharks added two runs to their tally in the top of the fifth to take a 3-0 lead.  Sophomore Jen Field (Windham, Maine) singled and was driven in on a double by Caitlin Pagel (Dorchester, Mass.). Cunningham then notched her second hit of the night and was sent home on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Ari King (Westford, Mass.).

Sophomore pitcher Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) struck out two Emmanuel batters in the fifth and retired the side in the sixth inning.  Field then led off with a double in the seventh and was moved over by Pagel's single. Cunningham drove in Field and Backhaus knocked Pagel home, as the Sharks went up, 5-0, heading into the Saints' final at bat.

The Saints were held hitless again in the seventh and Backhaus came away with the three-hit shutout win for Simmons.  Backhaus went the distance in the circle for the Sharks, allowing just the three Emmanuel hits and fanning 12 Saints en route to her eighth win of the season.  Lloid took the loss for the Saints, but struck out four batters, while giving up 9 hits.

Game Two:
After giving up one Simmons hit, a single by Backhaus, Emmanuel was able to score quickly in the home side of the first.  Davis led off game two with a single for the Saints and was moved over to second when Lloid walked.  The rookie then stole third on a double steal, before junior third-baseman Kayla Howard hit a sacrifice fly that scored Davis and the Saints took a 1-0 lead.

The Sharks got their first two batters on as Val Kiers walked Heather White (Westfield, Mass.) and Mikaela Caracciolo (North Attleboro, Mass.) to open the second inning. Kiers was able to strike out the next two, but Pagel hit a blooper to short right-center that scored both base-runners and Simmons went up, 2-1.

Simmons manufactured another run in the top of the fourth, when Caracciolo led off with a single and scored on a Saints throwing error, as the Sharks led, 3-1.

Howard led off with a double in the bottom of the fourth for the Saints.  Anna Mahoney pinch hit a single up the middle and moved Howard over to third.  Howard then scored on a suicide squeeze, when Kiers laid a bunt down the third base line, as the Saints cut their deficit to one run.  With both Mahoney and Kiers on base, Julia Levins bunted to load the bases and Kerianne Vulpis drove in Mahoney to tie the game at 3-all.  Davis drove in Kiers on a fielder's choice play at second and Emmanuel took a 4-3 lead.  Garrity then singled up the middle to score Levins, giving the hosts a 5-3 advantage.

King walked to start the fifth for Simmons, before Backhaus smashed a ground rule double, which bounced over the centerfield fence, giving Simmons second and third with no outs.  King would score on a wild pitch, but Howard turned a double play at third base and Emmanuel was able to get out of the jam, giving up just one run and holding a 5-4 edge heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Emmanuel went down one, two, three in the fifth and escaped the top of the sixth without any Simmons' runs, despite a two-out single by Field.  Howard would make all three defensive outs for the Saints in the top of the side.

The Sharks held the Saints scoreless in the sixth and entered the top of the seventh down one-run at 5-4, with the Sharks top of the order heading to the plate.  With one out, King walked again for Simmons, before stealing second base. Backhaus hit a pop-up to first for the second out and Keirs struck out the clean-up batter with her fifth strike out of the night, as the Saints captured the 5-4 victory.

Emmanuel tallied 8 hits in the win, including two bunt singles by Vulpis.  Backhaus and Cunningham led the Sharks' offense with three hits apiece over the two games.

Keirs earned the win in the circle for the Saints, giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs.  Sophomore Amanda Cordeiro (Fall River, Mass.) took the loss for Simmons, giving up the 5 earned runs in her four innings pitched.  Backhaus relieved Cordeiro in the fifth and hurled the final two innings for the Sharks, giving up one hit and striking out two batters.

Tonight's contests were the first two of six-straight GNAC match-ups to take place over the next three days for both teams.  Emmanuel will travel to Standish, Maine for GNAC double-header action with the Monks of Saint Joseph's College on Saturday, before returning home on Sunday to host the University of Connecticut Blue Jays in a noontime start. The Sharks host Anna Maria at Lasell College on Saturday before traveling to Suffolk University on Sunday afternoon. Both double-headers are set to begin at 12:00 p.m.