SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Freshman Kaley Kempf (Oxford, Conn.) turned in a 3-for-6 day at the dish with a homer and five runs batted in to help lift American International College to a pair of mercy-rule victories over Saint Anselm, 13-5 and 9-1, this afternoon in a Northeast-10 Conference softball double-header from Groff Field.
The Jackets (8-6) walked off with the victory in game-one in the bottom of the sixth as they scored four runs to push the margin to eight as Kempf knocked in a run with a ground-out to start the scoring before senior Jorrdin Miller (Garfield, N.J.) and sophomore Alexa DiLeo (Cheshire, Conn.) slapped RBI singles and freshman Kayla Riley (Haverhill, Mass.) crossed home on a wild pitch for the 13-5 final.
The bats began the day as cold as the temperature as after three innings the game was scoreless before Saint Anselm (4-10) opened up a 3-0 lead in the top of the third on an RBI double and two-run homer finally getting to junior Alyssa Camargo (Covina, Calif.) after 14 consecutive scoreless innings of work in the circle.
AIC abruptly responded in the bottom half of the frame plating five runs as Kempf blasted a two-run homer to left, sophomore Jamie Mainez (Redlands, Calif.) ripped an RBI double and junior Kristen Steele (Newburgh, N.Y.) skied a two-run round-tripper to left for the 5-3 edge.
The Jackets added a pair of unearned scores in the fifth and St. A's responded with a pair of their own in the sixth before the mercy-rule ensued in the bottom half of the sixth.
Camargo picked up the victory to improve to 5-2 on the year after tossing all six innings allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits while fanning ten.
Jackets outhit the visitors 11-7 in the opener.
The bats started the finale much warmer as AIC put up a five spot on the board in the first inning. Freshman Ashley Hughes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) and senior Lyndsey Letourneau (Paxton, Mass.) collected run-producing singles and DiLeo laced a three-run double down the left field line for the 5-0 edge.
The teams each got a run in the second before Kempf knocked home a pair in the fourth and senior Ainslee Penfield (Greenfield, Mass.) collected the RBI mercy-rule walk-off double to centerfield for the 9-1 final in the fifth.
Junior Jillian Bedard (Meriden, Conn.) collected her first win of the season to move to 1-3 after allowing a solo unearned run while scattering four hits with one strikeout in five innings.
The Jackets outslugged the visitors 12-4 in game two with Hughes, DiLeo and Kempf collected multiple hits.
American International returns Tuesday, Mar. 22 as they travel to Le Moyne College for a twinbill starting at 3 p.m. from Syracuse, N.Y.
