EMMITSBURG, Md. ? The Monmouth University softball team slugged their way to a doubleheader sweep over Mount St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon, 10-8 and 11-7 in Northeast Conference action. The Hawks, who have now won five straight games, improve to 28-14 and 11-5 in the NEC, while Mount falls to 11-29 and 3-13 in the league.
In the first game, sophomore Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) started and pitched five innings to earn the win, while striking out six batters, before giving way to senior Angela Rand (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) in the sixth inning.
Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) walked twice, scored two runs and swiped a pair of bases in the game, while Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) had a RBI double in the third inning that scored Alvarez. Dawn Gilchrist (Newfoundland, N.J./Jefferson) followed with a single that scored in the top of the third for MU.
The Blue and White continued their assault when Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) laced a single to center, followed by Candice Palumbo (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) driving in Gilchrist with a base hit. Jaime Jurewicz (Holland, Pa./Nazareth Academy) walked to load the bases and Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) then followed with a RBI groundout for Monmouth.
In the top of the fourth, Alvarez led off with a base hit and Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph's) drilled a two-run home run to left. Gilchrist doubled and scored on a wild pitch as the Hawks put three runs on the board in the inning. In the top of the sixth, Gilchrist led off with a solo home run and Jurewicz and Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, Our Lady of Lourdes) followed with run-scoring hits, the former a double.
Gordon went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Gilchrist and O'Dell each went 3-for-5 with the senior shortstop drilling a double as well, and Palumbo added two hits.
In the second game, Sawlsville came in during the fifth inning with the bases loaded and struck out two batters to navigate MU through what could have been a very big inning for the Mount. The hosts scored four in the first and two in the second to go up 6-2 after two innings.
MU took the game over with one of their bigger innings of the year when they exploded in the top of the third inning. Alvarez led off the third with a double and was chased home when Nicola blasted a home run over the left field fence. Gordon then walked, Gilchrist singled to right and O'Dell singled to center to load the bases for MU with no outs. Paulmbo, Jurewicz and Mignogna then all reached on errors and Alvarez drove in two with a triple following a Simonetti fly out.
Nicola then tagged her second two-run home run of the inning to blow the game wide open.
Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a triple and a double, scored three runs and drove in two. Nicola had three hits, including the two round-trippers, and drove in four runs.
Monmouth returns to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 29 when they host Columbia for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Before the first game, MU will celebrate their 2007 Senior Day by honoring Danielle Ellement (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Newbury Park), Gilchrist, Gordon and Rand with pre-game festivities.
Pictured: Senior Dawn Gilchrist
