GNAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

WINTHROP, Mass. – No. 1 North seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) shutout No. 3 North seed Simmons, 5-0, on the opening day of the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Championship Series.

The Monks will need one more win when the best-of-three series resumes tomorrow (May 11), while the Sharks are hoping to force a third and deciding game. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

#1N Saint Joseph's (Maine) 5, #3N Simmons

Recap courtesy of the Saint Joseph's (Maine).

STANDISH, Maine  - No. 1 North seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) blanked No. 3 North seed Simmons, 5-0, in the first game of the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Championship series at Richard W. Bailey Field on Friday afternoon.

With the victory, the Monks are in the driver's seat and need one more win in the best-of-three series to claim the program's first GNAC title since 2014. The series resumes tomorrow with the first game starting at 2 p.m. and the 'if necessary' contest to follow.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Facing one of the best pitchers in the conference in sophomore Piper Kinney, the Monks put two runs on the board in the top of the first when sophomore catcher Chantelle Bouchard launched a two-run homer well beyond the left-center wall. With one out, sophomore second baseman Hannah Gosselin singled and scored on the long ball, which was Bouchard's 12th of the year and sets a new program single-season record.

St. Joe's took advantage of a Simmons infield error to score three runs in the top of the second. Junior Paige Connery reached on the miscue and sophomore Charlotte Cloutier walked to set the stage for junior Mollie Verreault, who slammed a two-run double to left-center and promptly sprinted home on a Gosselin base hit up the middle to make it a 5-0 game.

The Sharks' best scoring opportunity was thwarted by a baserunning mistake in the bottom of the fifth. Simmons opened the frame with back-to-back singles and had Kinney at the plate in a sac bunt situation, but the runner at first took an overly aggressive secondary lead and was picked off by Bouchard. SJC junior starter Madison Pelletier proceeded to notch a strikeout and induced a harmless flyout to foul territory in right field to cease the threat.

The remainder of the contest cruised by as the teams managed to have just three baserunners combined in the last two innings, including the bottom of the seventh when Pelletier registered a pair of groundouts and a soft line-out to shortstop to close out the victory.

IN THE CIRCLE:

Pelletier, now 11-8 on the season, was a bulldog for the Monks and scattered five hits over seven shutout innings with a season-high six strikeouts. Simmons had just one runner in scoring position during the setback.

Kinney falls to 13-9 after giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts in five innings. Sophomore reliever Ally Hyde allowed a walk and notched a strikeout in two hitless frames of work.

AT THE BAT:

• Gosselin was 2-3 with a run and an RBI and reached base four times in the triumph
• Bouchard went 1-4 with a two-run homer and Verreault was 1-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBI
• For Simmons, sophomore shortstop Emily Deleault was 2-3 with a pair of singles

2024 GNAC Softball Tournament Schedule

Play-In - Tuesday, April 30

Game 1 - #5N New England College def. #4N Rivier, 3-1 | BOX
Game 2 - #4S Albertus Magnus def. #5S University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 3-1 | BOX

Pod Play Day 1 - Thursday, May 2

Lasell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1S seed Lasell)

Game 3B - #1S Lasell def. #4S Albertus Magnus, 3-2 | BOX
Game 4B - #3N Simmons def. #2N Emmanuel, 2-1 (11 inn.) | BOX

Pod Play Day 1 (cont.) - Friday, May 3

Saint Joseph's (Maine) Pod
(Hosted by No. 1N seed Saint Joseph's (Maine))

Game 3A - #1N Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #5N New England College, 9-4 | BOX
Game 4A - #3S Johnson & Wales def. #2S Mitchell, 7-1 | BOX

Pod Play Day 2 - Saturday, May 4

Saint Joseph's (Maine) Pod
(Hosted by No. 1N seed Saint Joseph's (Maine))

Game 5A - #5N New England College def. #2S Mitchell, 6-3 | BOX
Game 6A - #1N Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #3S Johnson & Wales, 11-4 | BOX
Game 7A - #3S Johnson & Wales def. #5N New England College, 4-3 (9 inn.) | BOX

Lasell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1S seed Lasell)

Game 5B - #2N Emmanuel def. #4S Albertus Magnus, 4-2 (9 inn.) | BOX
Game 6B - #3N Simmons def. #1S Lasell, 6-0 | BOX
Game 7B - #1S Lasell def. #2N Emmanuel, 3-1 | BOX

Pod Finals - Sunday, May 5

Saint Joseph's (Maine) Pod
(Hosted by No. 1N seed Saint Joseph's (Maine))

Game 8A - #1N Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #3S Johnson & Wales, 8-7 (8 inn.) | BOX
Game 9A – Not needed

Lasell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1S seed Lasell)

Game 8B - #3N Simmons def. #1S Lasell, 5-4 | BOX
Game 9B - Not needed

Championship Series - Friday, May 10
(Hosted by No. 1N seed Saint Joseph's (Maine))

Game 10 - #1N Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #3N Simmons, 5-0 | BOX

Championship Series - Saturday, May 11
(Hosted by No. 1N seed Saint Joseph's (Maine))

Game 11 - #3N Simmons vs. #1N Saint Joseph's (Maine), 2 p.m.
Game 12 - #1N Saint Joseph's (Maine) vs. #3N Simmons, if necessary

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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