NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College softball team suffered a hard-fought Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) non-divisional doubleheader setback to the Saints of Emmanuel (Mass.) College on Saturday afternoon at the Shea Softball Complex. The Saints took game one by a final score of 4-1 before securing the nightcap with a 3-0 victory. 

Breanna Saldivar (Middletown, Conn.) and Janelle Franklin (Middletown, Conn.) led the Falcons offensively in the twinbill. Saldivar collected three hits, two of them doubles, and Franklin cashed in with three hits and a run scored. 

Emilee Bishop (East Haven, Conn.) and Annabelle Jabs (East Hartland, Conn.) started in the circle for the Falcons in the doubleheader. Bishop hurled a complete game in the opener, allowing four runs while striking out four. Jabs followed up in game two with her own complete-game effort, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out a season-high nine batters. 

Before game one of the doubleheader, the Falcons honored their seven-member senior class - Karissa Kerrs (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), Ava Gladwin (Guilford, Conn.), Angelina Ramada (North Branford, Conn.), Peyton Davis (North Haven, Conn.), Fatima Rosales (East Elmhurst, N.Y.), Saldivar, and Franklin - for all of their hard work and dedication to the program over the past four years. In addition, graduate students Ivy Geloso (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and Erin Dighello (Wallingford, Conn.) were also recognized.    

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE (G1): Emmanuel (Mass.) 4 | Albertus Magnus 1
FINAL SCORE (G2): Emmanuel (Mass.) 3 | Albertus Magnus 0
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (19-17, 7-3 GNAC) | Emmanuel (Mass.) (18-14, 6-2 GNAC)
BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 

KEY HIGHLIGHTS - Game 1

• Bishop set the Saints down in order in the top of the first inning, and the Falcons' offense went to work in the bottom half of the frame. 
• Saldivar led off with a walk before Franklin slashed a single back up the middle to put runners on first and second. The Saints got the first out at third on a fielder's choice force-out, giving way to Davis, who ripped a RBI-single back up the middle to score Franklin and give AMC the early 1-0 lead. 
• The Saints struck back in the top of the second inning, as a double and a walk put two runners on. Tianna Dawe followed with a home run over the left field fence to give the Saints the 3-1 advantage. 
• Bishop helped keep the Saints in check in the third, hurling a 1-2-3 inning. 
• The Saints threatened in the top of the fourth, putting two runners on with two outs, but Bishop induced a foul out to third base to snuff out the rally. 
• Bishop turned the Saints away in the fifth with a 1-2-3 frame that included a strikeout, and the Falcon's offense returned to work. 
• Franklin led off the bottom of the fifth with a single followed by a fielder's choice by Ramada that also allowed Franklin to slide into second safely on a Saints error. Davis flew out to right field for the first out, but Franklin tagged up and advanced to third. A steal from Ramada put runners on second and third with one out, but Dawe slammed the door with a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning.
• The Saints added an insurance run in the top of the sixth, 4-1, but the Falcons could not respond in the bottom half of the inning, going down to send the teams to the seventh inning. 
• Emmanuel put runners on second and third to start the inning, but Bishop retired the next three hitters to strand the Saints' runners, and the game moved to the bottom of the seventh. 
• Saldivar led off with a single to left field and advanced to second on a passed ball. Unfortunately for the Falcons, Dawe retired the next three hitters to hand the Falcons the 4-1 setback in game one.     

ON THE MOUND
WP: Tianna Dawe (W, 9-12) | 7.0 IP | 8 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 1 BB | 5 SO 
LP: Emilee Bishop (L, 2-3) | 7.0 IP | 7 H | 4 R | 4 ER | 3 BB | 3 SO 

AT THE PLATE

• Franklin led the Falcons at the plate, collecting a team-high three hits and scoring the Falcon's only game run. 
• Davis was 1-for-4 with a RBI. 
• Saldivar, Ramada, Gladwin, and Leone also recorded a hit for the Falcons. 

KEY HIGHLIGHTS - Game 2

• The Saints put a runner on with two outs in the top of the first inning, but Jabs forced a ground out to keep the Saints off the scoreboard. 
• Saldivar led off the bottom of the first with a double into the right-centerfield gap before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Davis worked a walk to put runners on the corners with two outs, but Saints starter Madison Hinkley got a flyout to end the inning. 
• Jabs and Hinkley handcuffed the hitters in the second and third innings, matching each other with back-to-back 1-2-3 frames to send the teams into the fourth inning. 
• Jabs tossed a third consecutive 1-2-3 inning before Ramada led off the bottom of the fourth with a single into left field. A walk to Leone put two on with none out before Hinkley hurled a wild pitch that advanced the runners to second and third. A Molkenthin walk loaded the bases, but Hinkley forced a groundout to end the frame.    
• The Saints finally broke through against Jabs in the top of the fifth inning, scoring two runs on three hits to take a 2-0 lead. 
• Saldivar smashed a one-out double in the bottom of the fifth, and Ramada worked a two-out walk to put two on with two out. However, Hinkley hurled a pop-out to end the frame and strand the Falcon baserunners. 
• The Saints added an insurance run in the top of the sixth before the Falcons returned to work in the bottom of the inning. Back-to-back-to-back walks to Erin Molkenthin (East Haddam, Conn.), Gladwin, and Rosales loaded the bases, but Dawe returned to the circle in game two to slam the door and keep the Falcons off the scoreboard. 
• Jabs hurled a 1-2-3 seventh inning, but Dawe reciprocated with her own 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the seventh to hand the Falcons the 3-0 setback in game two.  

ON THE MOUND
WP: Madison Hinkley (W, 2-1) | 5.2 IP | 3 H | 0 R | 0 ER | 7 BB | 1 SO 
LP: Annabelle Jabs (L, 5-4) | 7.0 IP | 6 H | 3 R | 3 ER | 2 BB | 9 SO 

AT THE PLATE

• Saldivar was 2-for-4 with two doubles. 
• Ramada was 1-for-3 with a walk. 
• Molkenthin recorded two walks. 

UP NEXT

The softball team returns to action on Wednesday, April 26th, with an away GNAC doubleheader against Regis (Mass.) College. Game times are set for 4:30 and 6:30 on the Regis (Mass.) softball field in Weston, Mass.