Rams Charge Past AMCATS in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Anna Maria had the week off after their games against Clark earlier in the week were cancelled and on Saturday afternoon they hosted Suffolk University in a conference double header in Providence, on the campus of Johnson & Wales University due to a snow covered field on campus in Paxton. Coming off of a tough weekend against Johnson & Wales and Rivier on the road, the 'Cats were looking to bounce back against the Rams. Unfortunately for the AMCATS, the Rams offense was too much as they swept the 'Cats 16-5 and 23-2.

Game 1

The AMCATS had an eight hit performance in game one, getting multi-hit games from Sabrina Carreira, Jacqueline Lapierre, and Kayla Magierowski, who each had two hits. Carreira and Magierowski accounted for the two extra base hits for the hosts, both doubles, while each also drove in a run and Carreira scored once. J. Lapierre was two-for-three in the game, driving in two runs and scoring one of her own. Lauren Lapierre, who started the game in right field for Anna Maria, scored two runs in a zero-for-zero game with two walks. Freshman, Allison Sholds drove in a run for AMC in a pinch hit appearance.

Suffolk put together a 10-hit game, led by Ashley Zulla and Kelly Keane who each had two hits in the game. Zulla went two-for-two with two runs scored, Keane was two-for-three, scoring three runs for the Rams. Grace Boehler was one-for-four in the game with a double. She drove in four runs and scored two for the visitors. Delaney Sylvester drove in three runs and score one for Suffolk in her one-for-four performance in game one. Starting pitcher, Ali Yamakaitis earned her first win of the season in the circle, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing five hits, one run, and striking out five AMCATS.

The scoring in game one didn't begin until the second inning. Though each team was able to get a runner in to scoring position in the first, with Suffolk have runners on second and third to end the inning. Neither team was able to capitalize.

The Rams opened the scoring with four runs in the second inning, two of which were unearned and one which scored on a passed ball. The AMCATS were unable to answer in the bottom of the inning, though they did get a base runner in the form of Annie Melanson who laid down a bunt for a single and would later be picked off at the base for the third out of the inning.

Anna Maria stopped the bleeding in the third shutting the Rams down and then got on the board in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to three, 4-1, when J. Lapierre reached on a which brought her sister, Lauren, to the plate for the first AMCAT run.

In the top of the fourth, Suffolk added to their three run lead, scoring eight more runs before Anna Maria got out of the inning. They then added another four runs in the top of the fifth, giving the Rams a 15-run, 16-1 lead. The AMCATS now needed to score eight runs in the bottom of the inning to keep from being run ruled.

In the bottom of the fifth, the 'Cats got something going, starting the inning with a walk, followed by Yolani Doddy reaching on an error. Carreira doubled to left, driving in L. Lapierre for the second AMCAT run of the game. J. Lapierre then scored Doddy on a single through the middle of the infield, followed up by a Magierowski double to score Carreira. Sholds came in to the game to pinch hit driving in the final AMCAT run as she grounded out to the short stop with J. Lapierre scoring on the play. Down to their last out, the final AMCAT hitter struck out swinging, giving the Rams the game one victory, 16-5, over the AMCATS.

Game 2

Anna Maria only had three hits in game two, all of them singles. They came off the bats of leadoff hitter Amanda Lemire, Victoria Falco, and Jacqueline Lapierre. From those three hits, the 'Cats produced two runs, scored by Falco and Lauren Burns who came in to the game as a pinch runner. Kayla Magierowski recorded the only RBI in game two for AMC.

The Rams more than doubled their hits from game one, producing 23 run on 24 hits. Leadoff hitter Payton Sylvester went five-for-five in the game with nine RBI and five runs scored. Shortstop Jaclyn Flint was perfect at the plate as well, going four-for-four with two RBI, scoring four times. Devlin Frost, Delaney Sylvester, McKenzie McGrath, and Madison Eucalitto each had multi-hit games, Frost with three, and four RBI, Sylvester, McGrath and Eucalitto each with two. P. Sylvester pitched 4.0 innings in the game, allowing two hits, two runs, both unearned, and struck out three hitters.

The Rams spread their run production over the five innings of play, jumping out in front in the top of the first inning scoring two runs on a Devlin home run. Suffolk added three more runs to take a 5-0 lead after a P. Sylvester home run.

In the third inning, the visitors scored eight more runs, two of them on a home run by Flint, taking a 13-0 lead. They would add seven more in the fourth, with the scoring in the inning beginning with a P. Sylvester three-run home run. After three and a half, Suffolk had a commanding 20-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the fourth, the AMCATS scored their two runs of the game on a J. Lapierre single that was followed by an error, scoring Falco. They scored their second when Magierowski reached on an error with two runners on, one of the Burns, who scored.

Suffolk added three more runs in the top of the fifth, the 'Cats were unable to answer I nthe bottom of the inning and the game ended on run rule, 23-2, dropping the 'Cats to 0-14 on the year.

Anna Maria will be back on the field for more conference play on Wednesday, April 4^th when they travel to New Haven to take on Albertus Magnus College in a double header beginning at 2:30pm.