COLCHESTER, Vermont - On what was supposed to be the team's Senior Day, the American International College softball team played two "home" games at Doc Jacobs Field on the campus of Saint Michael's College, falling 10-8 and 17-3 to the Purple Knights in Northeast-10 Conference play on Sunday, April 13.

AIC is now 8-14 overall and 4-8 in the NE10.

With an April snowstorm hitting Springfield the day before, the teams agreed to play the games at Saint Michael's home field, which had avoided the storm; by NCAA rules, AIC remained the home team and batted in the bottom half of each inning. That allowed the Purple Knights to hit first on their own turf, and they took advantage with five hits, four stolen bases, and two walks, which, when coupled with a pair of errors, gave them a 6-0 lead.

The Yellow Jackets were undaunted and went right to work, loading the bases on a Lauryn Ramalho single, Destiny McGrath fielder's choice, and Nevaeh Trejo walk. Julia Krijgsman hit a bouncer to short, and while McGrath was put out at third, Ramalho scored. Jilien Ayala and Sammy Sanchez then hit back-to-back doubles, plating three total runs, and AIC had cut the gap to 6-4.

Jenna Devens led the second inning off with a monster home run to right, and a single and a walk by the Purple Knighs turned into two runs on a double into the left-center gap before Trinity LaValley came in and struck out back-to-back hitters to end the inning with a 9-4 Saint Michael's lead. 

In the third, AIC scored three times. Trejo singled and took second on a passed ball, and Sanchez drove her in with a base hit to right-center. Morgan Bemont then singled up the middle, putting two on. Isabelle Robinson pinch-ran for Sanchez and scored on a Brooklyn Cividanes single, and Bemont scored as Brianna Salazar singled to short and the throw that was intended to put her out sailed into right field, pulling AIC within a 9-7 margin.

Both teams scored in the fourth, as a wild pitch with a runner on third put the 10th run across for the Purple Knights, while Krijgsman drove McGrath home after AIC's shortstop doubled. From there, the offenses sputtered; AIC left the bases loaded in the sixth, and the 10-8 result went in favor of the team that was visiting on its own field.

The ball mostly stayed in the yard in game one, but in game two Brooke Bishop socked a three-run blast in the first, only to have McGrath answer with a solo shot and Ayala put two on the board with her first collegiate home run to tie the game. Ella Nickerson then smashed a round-tripper in the second for two runs.

The Purple Knights poured it on from there, with five in the third, one in the fourth, and six in the fifth, including another Devens home run, for the 17-3 run-rule final.

LaValley's pitching performance in the first game was excellent; in 5.2 relief innings she allowed one run on three hits with three strikeouts. 

AIC will now hold its Senior Day ceremony against Post University on Tuesday, April 15 before the doubleheader gets underway with a 2:30 p.m. first pitch.