REVERE, Mass. - A late rally by the Albertus Magnus College softball team earned the Falcons a non-conference doubleheader split with host Eastern Nazarene College on Monday evening at Griswold Park. The Lions claimed the opener, 5-2, but the Falcons bounced back to steal a 9-7 victory in the finale.

Albertus was led offensively by Karissa Kerrs (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Ivy Geloso (Beacon Falls, Conn.), Breanna Saldivar (Middletown, Conn.), and Janelle Franklin (Middletown, Conn.) as the quartet recorded three hits apiece to finish with a combined 12 hits.

Amanda Savinelli (New Haven, Conn.) earned the "W" in game two for the Falcons, as the sophomore hurler allowed just one hit while striking out two batters over 2.2 innings. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE (G1): Eastern Nazarene 5 | Albertus Magnus 2
FINAL SCORE (G2): Albertus Magnus 9 | Eastern Nazarene 7
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (12-14) | Eastern Nazarene (12-14) 
BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 

KEY HIGHLIGHTS - Game 1

• The Lions jumped out to an early one-run lead in the bottom of the first as Caoimhe Wernsing drove in the lead-off batter from second.
• Albertus threatened the hosts' lead in the top of the second by putter runners on second and third behind back-to-back singles from Erin Molkenthin (East Haddam, Conn.) and Ava Gladwin (Guilford, Conn.), but a grounder to shortstop ended the rally.
• Eastern Nazarene tripled its lead in the bottom of the third behind a two-run homer from Wernsing, bringing the score to 3-0.
• The Falcons' next threat of game one came in the top of the fifth when a one-out single from Geloso and a two-out single from Franklin put runners on the corners.
• However, another groundout closed out the inning, and the visitors remained trailing 3-0.
• The Lions scored an additional run in the bottom half of the fifth as Bailey Olaveson homered to center field, extending the hosts' lead to 4-0. 
• The Falcons cut the deficit in half, 4-2, in the top of the sixth following a two-run double to right center from Kerrs.
• In the bottom of the sixth, the Lions pushed their lead back to three, 5-2, scoring one run on two hits, including a lead-off homer from Yaya Bowden. 
• Albertus' final at-bat saw back-to-back singles from Saldivar and Franklin, but three straight outs ended the game, with the Falcons falling in game one, 5-2.

IN THE CIRCLE
WP: Jennelle Munoz (W, 6-4) - 7.0 IP | 11 H | 2 R | 2 ER | 0 BB | 1 SO | 0 HR
LP: Erin Dighello (Wallingford, Conn.) (L, 6-5) - 3.2 IP | 6 H | 3 R | 3 ER | 0 BB | 2 SO | 1 HR

AT THE PLATE

• Franklin led the Falcons in game one with three hits over four at-bats.
• Molkenthin recorded her fourth multi-hit game. 
• Kerrs collected a team-best two RBIs. 

KEY HIGHLIGHTS - Game 2

• The nightcap started off with the Lions taking the early lead after scoring three runs in the bottom of the first behind a home run from Darcy Castro. 
• Albertus finally broke through in the top of the fifth when Gladwin capitalized on a defensive error that allowed her to steal home, trimming the score to two, 3-1.
• Eastern Nazarene answered back with a four-run, four-hit inning in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding six-run lead, 7-1, heading into the top of the sixth. 
• The Falcons put the pressure on in the top of the sixth as the blue-and-white quickly loaded the bases for Arent, who singled to center field to allow Peyton Davis (North Haven, Conn.) to score before Isabelle Smith (Meriden, Conn.) scored on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to four, 7-3.
• Albertus kept the offensive momentum going with back-to-back RBI singles from Geloso and Saldivar to bring the visitors to within two, 7-5, and force Eastern Nazarene to go to its bullpen for relief with no outs on the scoreboard. 
• Despite a strikeout from Franklin, a wild pitch put runners on second and third before a double from Ramada cleared the bases and tied the game at 7-7. A strikeout and a flyout to center field ended the inning and sent the teams to the bottom of the sixth.
• Albertus slowly began to pull away with the lead in the top of the seventh as Smith and Kerrs recorded back-to-back singles before advancing to second and third following a sacrifice bunt from Fatima Rosales (East Elmhurst, N.Y.). Despite a pitching change from the Lions, Albertus continued to swing the bat as a pair of singles from Geloso and Saldivar scored Smith and Kerrs for the two-run cushion, 9-7.
• However, a flyout to center and a strikeout retired the Falcons and sent the Falcons to the field for one last time. 
• Solid pitching from Savinelli and defensive work from the infield kept the Lions from mounting any chance of a comeback to earn the non-conference split. 

IN THE CIRCLE
WP: Amanda Savinelli (W, 2-2) - 2.2 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 0 ER | 0 BB | 2 SO | 0 HR
LP: Chelsea De Martini (L, 0-2) - 1.1 IP | 3 H | 2 R | 2 ER | 0 BB | 2 SO | 0 HR

AT THE PLATE

• Saldivar, Ramada, Kerrs, and Geloso recorded a multi-hit game.
• Saldivar, Ramada, and Geloso finished with a team-best two RBI.

UP NEXT
The Falcons return to action on the road for a Great Northeast Conference (GNAC) doubleheader on Thursday, April 13th, against the Blazers of Elms College. Game times are set for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at Holyoke High School in Holyoke, Mass.