Courtney Caputo smacks triple in first game

RINDGE, N.H. (April 10, 2013) -- The Franklin Pierce University softball team could not overcome three Saint Anselm home runs on Wednesday and were swept in a doubleheader by the Hawks at the FPU Softball Field in Rindge. St. A's won game one, 3-0, and then exploded for a 13-0 win in six innings in game two. The Ravens fell to 3-18 overall and 1-13 in the Northeast-10 (0-8 Northeast Division), while the Hawks improved to 14-13 and 11-5 in league play (8-0 NE Division).

Nicole Boucher launched a pair of homers on the day for Saint Anselm, including leading off the first inning of game one with a shot over the wall in left field. However, her biggest blast was a grand slam in the sixth inning of game two, which was part of a six-run frame by the Hawks to set the eight-run rule into effect.

Monique Gauthier was the other Hawk to hit a long ball as she helped kick-start Saint Anselm's second-game barrage with a two-run homer in the first inning.

Saint Anselm pounded out 22 hits on the afternoon, including six from Julie Leclair, who had two doubles and a triple.

In addition to the offense clicking on all cylinders, the Hawks also got tremendous pitching performances from Tayla Trask and Paige Cormier as both turned in complete-game wins to improve to 8-8 and 6-5, respectively. Trask scattered a pair of Franklin Pierce hits over her 7.0 innings of work, while striking out four and yielding just one base on ball. Cormier's 6.0 innings of work saw her yield just four hits -- none for extra bases -- while striking out three and walking just one.

Franklin Pierce got a pair of solid pitching performances in game one, including from freshman hurler Tricia Hansen (Mansfield, Mass.), who went 5.0 innings and allowed just three runs on seven hits with a strikeout and zero walks. Senior Rachel Allen (Hull, Mass.) came on in relief and pitched a perfect sixth and seventh innings to keep the Ravens very much alive in the game.

The other highlight from the first game was freshman Courtney Caputo (Stony Brook, N.Y.) roping a triple to right field in the first inning. The extra-base hit was the 18th of the season for the Ravens, which is the highest total in the Northeast-10 this season.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens travel to Waltham, Mass. to face Bentley in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce softball, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the programs even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce softball apparel can do so on the athletic department's online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)