The Suffolk University Softball team hosted the Albertus Magnus Falcons in their last regular season home game on Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader. The Rams honored their seniors with speeches and flowers to celebrate their contributions to the softball team. The Rams swept the Falcons taking game one in five innings 9-1 and won game two 3-2.
Game One: Suffolk 9, Albertus Magnus 1
The Rams were off to a quick start putting two runs on the board at the bottom of the first. Senior Erin McAndrews (Marblehead, Mass.) got the Rams started when she hit a double. Sarah Chasse (Salem, Mass.) was next up with a single and a then stole second base. Nicole Rosa (Wallingford, Conn.) brought in McAndrews and Chasse with a single to put the Rams ahead 2-0.
The Falcons were looking to answer at the top of the second scoring their only run of the game. With two outs Rachel Cataudella (Shelton, Conn.) stepped up to bat and singled to left field to plate Alyssa Puccilli (Milford, Conn.) for a 2-1 disadvantage.
To start off the bottom of the second freshman Emily Martel (East Hartland, Conn.) hit a homer to give the Rams a 3-1 edge. Rosa was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Rams their fourth run on the afternoon. With two outs Meredith Ball (Nahant, Mass.) stepped up to the plate with the bags loaded and hit a single to bring in Chasse for a 5-1 lead.
Kim Crucioli (North Andover, Mass.) and the Rams defense kept the top of the third short and sweet when Crucioli struck out the first two Falcons batters and then forced a popup to Nicole Cignarella (Norwood, Mass.) for the third out. At the bottom of the fourth with Anna Grace Maggs (Schenectady, N.Y.) and Rosa on the bags Ball got the second home run of the afternoon bringing in three RBI to give Suffolk a 8-1 score. Cignarella rounded out the scoring for the Rams with a double to plate Martel and the 9-1 win over the Falcons.
Freshman pitcher Crucioli got her twelfth win of the season. She had six strikeouts and only allowed seven hits. Ball had a game high four RBI on the afternoon.
Game Two: Suffolk 3, Albertus Magnus 2
Neither team was able to get on the board until the top of the fourth when the Falcons' Carli Matrisian (Milford, Conn.) homered to right field for their only lead on the afternoon with a 1-0 score. The Rams answered at the bottom of the fourth when Ball scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1.
The Rams were able to get the edge when Rosa singled at the bottom of the fifth to bring McAndrews home for a 2-1 lead over the Falcons.
At the top of the seventh the Falcons tied the game 2-2 with two outs and a single from Matrisian to bring in her second RBI of the afternoon.
The Rams answered at the bottom of the seventh to seal the Falcons' fate. Ball stepped up to the plate with two outs and doubled to left field to get Chasse across home plate and get the Rams the 3-2 win over the Falcons.
Chasse got her sixth win of the season and had seven strikeouts on the afternoon.
The Rams improve to 19-21 overall and 11-11 in GNAC play. The Falcons are now 17-14 overall and 10-10 in conference action.
Both teams are awaiting playoff seeding to determine their schedules.