MANCHESTER, N.H. - After two days away from competition, the Saint Michael's College softball team kicked off a regular-season-ending run of 14 games in 11 days on Thursday with a 5-2 loss at first-place Saint Anselm College during Northeast-10 Conference play at South Athletic Field. The Purple Knights are now 1-21 overall, 1-13 in the league and 0-8 in the Northeast Division, while the Hawks moved to 18-9, 10-5 and 7-2

Senior Greer Lemnah (Lyndon Center, Vt./Lyndon Institute) was 2-for-4 with a run for the Purple Knights, moving within one hit of becoming the 11th Saint Michael's player with 100 for a career. Junior Sarah Murray (Wallingford, Conn./Sheehan) went 2-for-3 with a double, and senior Bethany Falls (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) and sophomore Jenna Maksian (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) both drove in runs. Senior Lea Gipson (Bridport, Vt./Middlebury Union) allowed one run over the first four-plus innings before yielding five in five frames, taking the loss.

Senior Nicole Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I./Woonsocket) went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles and a triple for Saint Anselm, which was the visiting team, and sophomore Julie LeClair (Taunton, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy) finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Junior Hannah Byrne (Lynn, Mass./Lynn Classical) homered, and classmate Paige Cormier (Rochester, N.H./Spaulding) earned the win after allowing two runs on nine hits in a complete-game effort.

Boucher led off the game with a triple before scoring on a hit one out later, and Falls nearly tied the game in the home half on sophomore Danielle DelGreco's (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) two-out single but was gunned down at the plate while trying to score from second base. Maksian came through with a tying RBI knock in the second, but the Purple Knights left runners at second and third base.

Gipson stranded a Hawk at second base in both the third and fourth innings before Saint Anselm snapped the 1-1 tie with four runs in the fifth. Byrne led off with a tie-breaking home run before a pair of run-scoring singles and a double steal that included Boucher swiping home accounted for the remaining runs. Saint Michael's got a run back in the bottom half, as Lemnah scored on Falls' squeeze, but a pair of fielder's choices with two runners on ended the final sustained threat.

Saint Michael's hosts Assumption College tomorrow for Senior Day, with the doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.