Softball takes two from Monmouth Sat.

Bulldogs sweep Monmouth in NEC doubleheader Saturday at home

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Guided by a late two-run home run by senior Lauren McCart (Voorhees, N.J.) and a go-ahead solo shot off the bat of sophomore Lauren Guy (La Habra, Calif.), the Bryant University softball team played to a doubleheader sweep over Monmouth by 7-4 and 5-4 scores, respectively, on Saturday afternoon at the Bryant Softball Complex at Conaty Park.

With the sweep, the Bulldogs improve to 15-21 on the season and pick up two conference victories to move to 7-5 in Northeast Conference action. The Hawks fall to an even 17-17 overall and 7-7 in league play.

In the opener, the Bulldogs built a five-run lead through the first three innings, but the Hawks slowly chipped away to make it a 5-3 game before McCart smashed a two-run bomb over the left field fence – her first jack of the season – to tack on two insurance runs for the home side.

During the late game, Bryant appeared to be cruising to another win before its early 4-0 lead evaporated by means of a four-run sixth inning for Monmouth, who rallied with six hits in a single frame to draw even at 4-4. But Guy promptly handed the lead right back to the Bulldogs with a solo home run – a bomb over the scoreboard in right field – and that single run was all that the Black and Gold would need as Bryant notched a one-run victory to secure the sweep.

Junior hurler Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) wound up securing both victories on the afternoon. The right-hander started and won the opener after going the distance while striking out two and walking one and yielding 22 hits.

In Game 2, Hart came on in relief in the top of the sixth in the midst of Monmouth's four-run rally, but despite allowing the tying run, Hart retired the final batter that inning before setting down the side in order in the seventh to improve to 8-6 on the season.

Classmate Jennifer Jacob (Deer Park, N.Y.) earned the start in the late game and received a no decision after allowing four runs on eight hits over 5 and 2/3 innings. The righty struck out one and walked two over the course of her outing.

Monmouth pitcher Alissa Schoelkopf wound up taking both losses after going 5 and 1/3 in Game 1 while yielding seven runs – six earned – on eight hits. In Game 2, she reentered in the bottom of the sixth after Monmouth had drawn even at 4-4 but wound up surrendering the go-ahead homer by Guy to fall to 7-4 on the season.

Both teams combined for 20 hits over the course of the day, as Monmouth out-hit Bryant by an 11-9 margin in Game 1 before the Bulldogs earned an identical advantage in Game 2.

McCart led all Bulldog batters with four hits on the day, going 4-for-6 with a team-high four RBI and a run scored. Classmate Laura Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) drove in a pair while totaling two hits – including an important two-run homer in Game 1 – and sophomore Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) went 3-for-6 on the day with three runs scored.

In Game 1, Bryant took the lead in the second after McCart doubled home sophomore Taylor Bell (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), who singled to right center earlier in the inning.

The Hawks would go ahead by a run in the third after back-to-back hits pushed home a pair of runs to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Tish Derer doubled to center to score Alicia DeSanto to get Monmouth on the board before Katie Schumacher put the Hawks ahead with an RBI single.

But the Bulldogs answered right back with a four-run third inning, as Bowen's two-run homer to left center put Bryant back up, 3-2. Later in the inning, Bell drove in a run on a base hit to left before a second run would score on a fielding error during the same play, putting the home side ahead by three runs (5-2) after the inning was over.

Trailing by a 5-2 deficit, Monmouth would make things interesting with a two-run fourth inning to cut the deficit to one (5-4). Chelsea Poprocki led of the frame with a solo shot to left before Schumacher ripped a double to center field to score the second run.

But McCart's two-run bomb in the bottom of the sixth added all the insurance that Bryant would need, as Hart put away the Hawks in the top of the seventh to win Game 1.

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Bryant wasted no time taking the lead in the late game with a two-run first inning. Freshman Madeline Velasquez (Los Angeles, Calif.) pushed the first run across on an infield RBI single, and Bell laid down a suicide squeeze to score Mable to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage.

In the third, the Bulldogs would double up the lead with a three-hit, two-run inning. Mable and Velasquez blasted doubles in back-to-back at-bats, as Mable came in to score on the latter's extra-base hit. Later in the inning, McCart's bloop single to left would score Velasquez to put the home side ahead by a 4-0 margin.

But the Hawks attempted to rally in the sixth with six hits and benefited from two Bryant errors to draw even at 4-4. Schumacher led off the frame with a double before consecutive base hits brought her in to score.

After the runners moved up on a throwing error, Kayla Weiser came in to score on a passed ball. Kayleena Flores would then drive a run after singling in the next at-bat before being thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double.

But with runners at first and second, Hart entered the game looking for the final out of the inning but yielded an RBI single off the bat of Christine Scherr, allowing the Hawks to tie the game at 4-all. Hart, however, induced a fly out to deep center off the bat of Schumacher to escape further damage.

Guy made up for it in the bottom of the sixth, as the sophomore designated player crushed a 1-1 pitch over the scoreboard in right field, and that go-ahead run would prove to be the game-winner. Hart came back into the circle in the top of the seventh and promptly retired the side in order to end the afternoon with a sweep.

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Due to rain in the forecast for Sunday, the Bulldogs' regularly scheduled doubleheader against Fairleigh Dickinson has been postponed to a date to be determined. Bryant will next face Brown University in a single-game showdown on Tuesday (April 24) at the Bryant Softball Complex at Conaty Park. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

For continuing coverage of Bryant University softball, check back online at www.bryantbulldogs.com; also follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.