NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College softball team improved to 19-15 on the season as the Falcons earned a non-conference doubleheader sweep against the Mariners of Mitchell College on Thursday afternoon at the Shea Softball Complex.

The Falcons held off the Mariners in game one, 5-4, after a seventh-inning rally, before securing the nightcap, 5-0, to earn their fifth shutout of the season. 

Grad student Erin Dighello (Wallingford, Conn.) earned her sixth win of the spring campaign after allowing just one run on three hits while striking out two over 5.1 innings. 

Annabelle Jabs (East Hartland, Conn.) followed up in game two with another dominant outing, hurling her third complete-game shutout of the season to secure the non-conference doubleheader sweep over Mitchell College. 

In the bottom of the sixth in game two, graduate student Ivy Geloso (Beacon Falls, Conn.) recorded her 100th career hit on a single to shortstop.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE (G1): Albertus Magnus 5 | Mitchell 4
FINAL SCORE (G2): Albertus Magnus 5 | Mitchell 0
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (19-15) |Mitchell (17-15)
BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2

KEY HIGHLIGHTS - Game 1

• Albertus kicked off game one by scoring three runs on two hits and a Mariners' error for the early lead, 3-0. Breanna Saldivar (Middletown, Conn.) led off the at-bat with a deep triple down the right field line before Franklin forced a walk, putting runners on the corners for Angelina Ramada (North Branford, Conn.), who allowed Saldivar to score on a sacrifice fly to right, 1-0.
• A fielder's choice advanced Franklin to second and put Davis on first with one out, but Anna Leone (Shelton, Conn.) flew out to the pitcher to earn the second out of the inning. Erin Molkenthin (East Haddam, Conn.) ignited the Falcons' dugout as she singled to left field, advancing Peyton Davis (North Haven, Conn.) to second and Janelle Franklin (Middletown, Conn.) home for the 2-0 lead. 
• Davis then capitalized on a scoring opportunity when the Mariners' second baseman made a fielding error, putting the Falcons ahead 3-0 prior to the third and final out of the inning. 
• The bottom of the second saw Albertus put a run on the scoreboard behind a two-out RBI double to center field from Davis.
• After a quiet third inning, Albertus struck again, forcing the Mariners to go to their bullpen for relief following a lead-off single from Franklin. From there, a passed ball advanced Franklin to second before a single down the left field line from Ramada allowed Franklin to score, giving the hosts a five-run cushion, 5-0.
• Mitchell countered the Falcons' one-run in the bottom of the fourth with a solo run in the top of the fifth following a RBI single from Gemma Landry, 5-1.
• The Mariners made things interesting in the top of the seventh as the visitors put runners on first and second with two outs until a single from Landry and a double from Emma LaBreck allowed three runs to score, trimming the deficit to within one, 5-4.
• A defensive stop from Franklin at second allowed the Falcons to earn the final out of the inning and leave the tying run on second.

ON THE MOUND
WP: Erin Dighello (W, 6-4) - 5.1 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 1 BB | 2 SO
LP: Katelyn Lipsky (L, 9-7) - 3.0 IP | 7 H | 5 R | 3 ER | 2 BB

AT THE PLATE

• Ramada had a team-high in RBI with two, while Molkenthin and Davis each recorded one.
• Four Falcons - Franklin, Ramada, Davis, and Geloso - tallied 2 hits apiece.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS- Game 2

• Albertus' first offensive threat of the game came in the bottom of the first as the Falcons put runners on second and third behind a lead-off single from Saldivar and back-to-back fielder choices. 
• However, with two outs on the scoreboard, a line out to right field stranded Davis and Ramada on base and sent the teams to the top of the second.
• The top of the fourth saw an offensive rally by Mitchell, with the visitors putting runners on first and second following back-to-back singles, but solid defensive work from the Falcons shut down the Mariners, and the score remained tied at 0-0.
• The Falcons finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs on five hits to take their first lead of the nightcap, 3-0. Fatima Rosales (East Elmhurst, N.Y.) and Geloso kicked things off with back-to-back singles before the first and second out were collected. With runners on second and third, Ramada restarted the offense with a single that advanced Rosales home and put Saldivar on third. 
• A walk to Davis put runners on first and second before Molkenthin singled to left field to bring both runners home and expand the Falcons' lead to 3-0. Skylar Arent (Ridgefield, Conn.) followed with a single to reload the bases, but a flyout halted the blue-and-white's rally. 
• With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Geloso and Saldivar ripped back-to-back singles before advancing on a groundout.
• A Ramada single down the right field line brought both runners in and increased the host's lead to 5-0. 
• That would be more than enough for Jabs, as the freshman hurler slammed the door over the final three innings, permitting just two hits while keeping the Mariners off the scoreboard to secure the 5-0 non-conference victory. 

ON THE MOUND
WP: Annabelle Jabs (W, 5-3) - 7.0 IP | 4 H | 0 R | 0 ER | 0 BB | 2 SO  
LP: Emily Reynolds (L, 6-8) - 6.0 IP | 11 H | 5 R | 5 ER | 2 BB | 1 SO 

AT THE PLATE

• Ramada was 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBIs. 
• Molkenthin was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. 
• Saldivar, Geloso, and Rosales each recorded two hits.

UP NEXT

The softball team returns to the diamond on Saturday, April 22, with a home non-divisional Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader against the Saints of Emmanuel College on Senior Day. Game times are set for 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., with senior celebrations being held before the first pitch of game one.