Simmons Softball Swept at Saint Joseph, 3-2, 5-3; White Collects 100th Career Hit

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Senior center fielder Heather White (Westfield, Mass.) collected her 100th career hit for the Simmons College softball team, but the Sharks were swept by host University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), dropping the first game, 3-2, before losing the second contest 5-3 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action this afternoon at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. Simmons falls to 6-9 overall and 0-4 in GNAC play, while the Blue Jays win their 11th straight game to improve to 16-4 and 6-0.

White struck a single to center field in the top of the second inning of the first game to mark her 100th career hit for the Sharks. She finished the contest going 2-3 with a walk and two runs batted in. Junior second baseman Brianna Rastello (Salem, N.H.) also had two hits in three at-bats. First year starting pitcher Tori Gomes (Taunton, Mass.) (3-3) suffered the loss allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk, while striking out three in five and one-third innings pitched.

Seven different players collected at least one hit in game one for Saint Joseph. Junior third baseman
Ashley Tucker (Middletown, Conn.) was 2-3 with a pair of doubles in the game for the Blue Jays, while senior catcher Mary Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) stroked a run-scoring double. Senior pitcher Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) (10-0) threw a complete seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits and three bases on balls to go with 10 strikeouts.

USJ took a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the first game. Kara Klimaszewski (Naugatuck, Conn.) singled to center and came around to score when first year left fielder Morgan Skoly (Vernon, Conn.) reached third on an error. Skoly then scored on a sacrifice fly by Emily Vigue (Lebanon, Conn.) The lead grew to 3-0 when Haley McCall (Lebanon, Conn.) singled for the 100th hit her career and came home on a double from Mary Sciglimpaglia.

Simmons looked to rally in the top of the seventh. First year Alexandra Moleski (Bridgeport, Conn.) cracked a pinch-hit double to open the frame, before Rastello later reached on an infield single to third with two outs and first year catcher Taylor LeBrun (Milford, Mass.) walked to load the bases. White drove in two runs with a single to left that produced the first earned runs against Sciglimpaglia since March 13 to snap a streak of 56 straight innings. The Sharks were unable to tie the game as the home team took the 3-2 decision.

The Blue Jays completed the sweep with a 5-3 victory in game two.

First year starting pitcher Michaela Reeves (Reading, Mass.) led Simmons with a two-run single, while junior first baseman Alison Gauvin (Whitehead, Maine) reached base twice, via a single and a walk. Reeves (3-5) was saddled with the loss, yielding two runs on five hits and three free passes in addition to striking out a batter in two innings of work.

Patti and Mary Sciglimpaglia each went 2-4 with two runs batted in to pace Saint Joseph in game two. Sciglimpaglia tripled home a run in the bottom of the fourth inning for her 177th career hit, which broke the previous school record of 176, set by Emily Hummel from 2010-13. Then after entering on the mound in relief of junior starting pitcher Danielle Circosta (Feeding Hills, Mass.) a seventh-inning strikeout was the 382nd of her career and surpassed Mary Ann Parsons, who had 381 from 1999-2001. Circosta (6-2) earned the victory going five and two-third innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks in addition to four strikeouts. Patti Sciglimpaglia picked up the save with the final four outs of the game, including two strikeouts.

The Blue Jays broke on top in the second game with three third-inning runs. USJ drew three walks and Patti and Mary Sciglimpaglia and Vigue all had RBI-singles. Simmons came back with one in the top of the fourth when White led off with a walk and eventually scored on a two-out error.

Saint Joseph pushed its lead to 5-1 in the fourth. Sarah Ercoli (Watertown, Conn.) walked, Patti Sciglimpaglia triplef to right and then scored on twin sister Mary's single to right.

The Sharks came back with two in the top of the sixth. First year catcher Mary Martunas (Rutland, Mass.) singled, White walked and first year third baseman Dominique Ortiz (Lawrence, Mass.) singled to lead the bases with no outs. Reeves came through with a single to drive in two runs and cut the deficit to 5-3. The Blue Jays escaped further damage with a line-drive double play and Sciglimpaglia coming out of the bullpen to get a strikeout.

Simmons returns to the diamond on Tuesday, April 12 when it heads to Newton, Mass. to take on Lasell College in a GNAC twinbill beginning at 3:00 p.m. USJ next hosts Trinity College (Conn.) in a non-conference game on the same day at 4:00 p.m.