Skyhawks Headed To Postseason

Manchester, N.H. - A walkoff two-run home run by Southern New Hampshire freshman Elena Anderson in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed the Penmen to steal a split of a Northeast-10 softball doubleheader with the hosts picking up a 3-1 win in the nightcap Sunday afternoon. The Skyhawks recorded a 3-2, 10-inning victory in the opener and now sit at 23-19 overall and 15-13 in league play.

Regardless, the Skyhawks have secured a spot in the Conference's postseason tournament. They will await the end of the regular season to learn their final seeding and who they will face.

In the opener, Stonehill took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Jaime Ippolito (Chelsea, Mass.) led off the inning with a double and later scored on a single by Gina Vivona (Seaford, N.Y.).  The score stayed that way until the Penmen tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when Ashley Bernstein belted a solo home run.

SNHU nearly won the game in the bottom of the ninth. Valerie Martins led off the inning with a double to the gap in left-center. After the next two batters grounded out, Laurie Boland hit a rope to the gap in left-center, but was robbed on a game-saving catch by Stonehill center fielder Kate Brides (West Bridgewater, Mass.). That catch gave the Skyhawks the momentum and they scored twice in the top of the 10th to take a 3-1 lead and an eventual 3-2 win.

Stonehill seemed primed to earn the doubleheader sweep after taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Meghan Sheehy (East Islip, N.Y.) hit a two-out solo home run. 

Tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the eighth, Ashley Guertin led off the frame for the Penmen with a single through the left side. The next batter, Casey Stoodley bunted Guertin over before Anderson belted a ball to straightaway center that cleared the fence to give the hosts the victory.