NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 28, 2018) – The Franklin Pierce University softball team took two out of three games against Northeast-10 Conference opponent Merrimack College this weekend to conclude their 2018 slate at 11-24, 8-17 NE10. Yesterday, the Ravens earned a shutout victory before splitting with the host Warriors today 7-1 and 3-2 on Martone-Mejail Field. Merrimack heads to the conference tournament with a 30-13 overall record and a 17-10 conference mark.

Game One: Warriors 7, Ravens 1 (Final)

Merrimack scored early and often in game one chasing Raven starter Sabrina LoMonaco (Franklin, Mass.) as the junior allowed two runs, on two hits and two walks. She did not record an out during her outing. The Raven bats also struggled as they only amassed three total hits. Leading the way was sophomore backstop Ashley Conway (Salem, N.H.) who was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Warrior third basemen Caitlin McBride was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish with a double and three RBI. Megan Cook responded after a tough-luck loss yesterday to hurl six innings of seven-strikeout ball scattering two hits and issuing only one free pass.

The hosts pushed two runs across the plate in the home half of the first. McBride worked a 3-1 walk to bring in the first run of the contest. LoMonaco was relieved by southpaw Amelia Mamone (Wynantskill, N.Y.) who danced out of the frame allowing only one more inherited runner to score via an RBI groundout.

In the bottom of the second designated player, Samantha Harris smoked a 0-2 leadoff double to right center. Mamone got a pop out and a grounder to herself for two outs before centerfielder Nicole Nanof roped a single up the middle to increase the Merrimack advantage to 3-0.

Two insurance runs in the third and two in the sixth upped the lead to 7-0, before Conway cracked the scoring column in the top of the seventh for FPU.

Game Two: Ravens 3, Warriors 2 (Final)

Cyrena Zemaitis (Goshen, Conn.) made her final start of her impressive freshman campaign and twirled a complete game effort allowing two runs and striking out seven batters. Cassidy Sorenson (Billerica, Mass.) produced a double and a triple in a 2-for-4, two runs scored and RBI effort. Conway also recorded two hits while Jaclyn Cortese (Upton, Mass.) drove in the other Raven run.

The duo of Tiffany Mangiameli and Alyssa Williamson were 3-for-4 each with one run scored while McBride's hot bat carried over into the second contest as she doubled home two runs. Courtney Zambello did not last long in the circle for Merrimack as she worked only two and one-thirds of an inning allowing three runs, four hits, and three walks.

The Ravens crossed the plate first in the top of the first as Sorenson tripled to right field with two away. The next batter, Cortese singled up the middle on a 2-2 pitch to push the Crimson and Grey ahead 1-0. The hosts countered to take a 2-1 lead in the home half of the first as singles from Mangiameli and Williamson put runners at the corners with one out. McBride dug into the box and ripped a double to left center clearing the bases. Zemaitis struck out the next batter swinging and induced a pop up to third to end the frame.

Franklin Pierce took the lead for good in the top of the third. Left fielder Jillian Ostrander (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) drew a free pass on a full count to lead off the inning. Sorenson followed with her second extra-base hit of the contest, a double to center to tie the score at 2-2. Sorenson tagged up on a foul out to first base and moved to third, which turned out to be a key play in the showdown. With Dominique Bisaccia (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) batting, Sorenson dashed home on a wild pitch to break the deadlock at 3-2. Bisaccia walked, Conway singled and Jess Rego (Richmond, R.I.) took one for the team to load the bases full of Ravens. Megan Cook, who entered the contest a few batters before Rego's at-bat, struck out the Raven shortstop to thwart the scoring threat.

Zemaitis had mostly smooth sailing the rest of the way before encountering a brief storm in the bottom of the fifth. The freshman loaded the bases off two singles and a walk following an eight-pitch at-bat. With the bases juiced and a 2-0 count, Zemaitis tossed three straight strikes as Abigail Amato did not move the bat from her shoulders leaving three runners left on base.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce softball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store). You can also follow the softball team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/fFPUSoftball_) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpu_ravens_softball).