Mustangs Take 6-5, 5-0 Wins over Softball

NEWTON, Mass – Mount Ida College evened up their Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball record at 2-2 by sweeping Anna Maria College in their conference home opener on Friday evening at Alumni Field.

The Mustangs (5-9) scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to break a 5-5 tie and grab a 6-5 win in game one and then shut out the AMCATS (2-15, 0-4 GNAC) 5-0 in the second half of the double dip.

Pitcher Nicole Handzel (Palmer, Mass.) won both games in the circle, including spinning a complete game one-hitter with eleven strikeouts in the second game shutout.

Game One: Mount Ida 6, Anna Maria 5

Handzel helped herself out with the game-winning RBI single in the sixth after the AMCATS had erased a 5-2 deficit with three runs in the top of the frame.

Anna Maria held a 2-0 lead after two runs in the top of the second, but Mount Ida answered with a four-run fourth inning, including a two-run single by designated player Emma Morton (Winchester, Mass.).

Two more runs came across on a throwing error by the AMCATS, who managed just three hits in the game, one of them being a game-tying double by Victoria Falco (Marlborough, Mass.) in the top of the sixth.

Handzel was not as sharp in game one, but still struck out eight despite walking five batters and allowing five earned runs.

The loss fell to AMCATS senior Angela Vousboukis (Swampscott, Mass.), as she allowed six runs, but just three of them were earned.

Game Two: Mount Ida 5, Anna Maria 0

Michele MacDonald (N. Dighton, Mass.) had four hits, scored three runs and drove in a pair of runs, and freshman Kelsey Weston (Hampstead, N.H.) 2-4 with two RBIs, including an RBI single in the bottom of the first to get the Mustangs on the board.

Luciana Medici (Riverside, R.I.) scored MacDonald with a double to left center in the fourth inning, extending Mount Ida's lead from 2-0 to 4-0, and MacDonald helped tack on an insurance run when she singled home Sam Laferriere (Tewksbury, Mass.) with the bases loaded in the fifth.

Handzel improved her record to 4-5 on the season and had a 2.40 ERA over 70 innings pitched.

Anna Maria got their only hit from Amanda Lemire (Methuen, Mass.) at the top of their lineup.

Ally Hamelin (Greenfield, Mass.) took the loss, surrendering four earned runs and eleven hits with three strikeouts over six innings.

Mount Ida has a quick turnaround until another home game on Saturday afternoon, as they will entertain Saint Joseph (CT) at Alumni Field at 12:00 and 2:00 pm.

Anna Maria looks for their conference win of the year on Saturday when they host Saint Joseph's (ME) at Holy Cross at 12 and 2 PM.

Recap courtesy of Mount Ida Sports Information