MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior Jordan Dwyer (Coventry, R.I.) and sophomore Lauren Geremia (North Providence, R.I.) each recorded a combined four hits as the Assumption University softball team split a doubleheader with Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon. The Greyhounds took the opener, 4-1, before the Penmen rallied to capture the nightcap by an 8-6 score in 12 innings.

Game One: Assumption 4, Southern New Hampshire 1

Assumption scored one run in the top of the first when Geremia scored on a groundout to pitcher Leine McKechnie off the bat of freshman Mackenzie Bruggeman (Trumbull, Conn.). The Greyhounds then doubled their lead in the second, as sophomore Abigail Larson (Marlborough, Mass.) went yard for the first time of the season.

Southern New Hampshire sliced the deficit in half when Bella Dickinson stole home on a strikeout that got away from the Greyhound catcher, but that was the only time they could score against senior pitcher Erin Barry (Braintree, Mass.). The visitors added insurance runs courtesy of an RBI double by sophomore Corin Mahan (Abington, Mass.) in the sixth and when freshman Mollie Verreault (Scarborough, Maine) scored on a wild pitch in the seventh and final frame.

Barry earned the win and moved her record to 8-8 by giving up five hits and just one run in seven innings of work for Assumption. She also recorded four strikeouts and issued three walks. Southern New Hampshire's McKechnie dropped to 5-6 at the time for surrendering eight hits and four runs, including three earned, while striking out seven and issuing only one walk.

Game Two: Southern New Hampshire 8, Assumption 6 (12 Innings)

The nightcap was a wild one with several ties and most of the scoring occurring in the extra frames. Bruggeman homered for the second time this week to give the Greyhounds a 2-0 advantage in the fourth, but the Penmen responded with RBI singles off the bats of Dickinson and Gray to force additional frames.

Assumption regained the lead two more times by tallying two additional runs in the eighth and another in the 12th. However, in each instance, the hosts rallied. RBI singles by Abi Gray and Brittany Mota in the bottom of the eighth inning erased an earlier RBI single by sophomore Kali Scirocco (Upton, Mass.).

Even though Southern New Hampshire (16-18, NE10 10-8) went down again four innings later, a three-run homer by Dickinson in the bottom half of the 12th abruptly ended the marathon match in walk-off fashion.

McKenchie, who entered the game in relief to begin the eighth, got the win and moved ahead to 6-6 by striking out four and only yielding two hits and four runs which were all unearned. She also did not issue a walk. Sophomore Catherine Higgins (Medway, Mass.) was charged with the loss and fell to 0-5 for giving up the game-winning hit and allowing four runs, but just one that was earned, over 3.1 innings.

Assumption (14-21, NE10 11-7) will next visit Saint Anselm for a pivotal Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader tomorrow afternoon beginning at 12 p.m.