COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College softball team concluded its home slate with a 7-3 loss to Franklin Pierce University on Thursday during Northeast-10 Conference action at Doc Jacobs Field. The Purple Knights are 1-31 overall, 1-23 in the league and 0-18 in the Northeast Division, while the Ravens improved to 12-18, 10-12 and 8-10.

Senior Bethany Falls (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) went 2-for-2 with a double for Saint Michael's to increase her career hit total to 94, and classmate Greer Lemnah (Lyndon Center, Vt./Lyndon Institute) was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sophomore Jenna Maksian (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) doubled and scored twice. Senior Laura McCormack (Natick, Mass./Natick) yielded six earned runs in 4.2 innings before first-year Rachel Tshonas (Ellington, Conn./Ellington) tossed 1.1 innings of shutout ball, and senior Lea Gipson (Bridport, Vt./Middlebury Union) fanned the side in the seventh.

Senior Ashley Noke (Cumberland, R.I./Cumberland) was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for Franklin Pierce, sophomore Melissa Morgan (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) went 2-for-3 with three runs and a double, and classmate Tricia Hansen (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) allowed one earned run and struck out five during a complete-game victory.

Sophomore Morgan Cahill (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) knocked a two-out RBI double to give Franklin Pierce a short-lived lead in the second inning, as Saint Michael's plated a pair in the home half. Sophomore Judi Barcavage (Cold Spring, N.Y./Haldane) ripped a one-out single to left field to score junior Sarah Murray (Wallingford, Conn./Sheehan), and Maksian later came around on an error.

After a 1-2-3 third, the Ravens took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fourth. Noke singled before scoring on an error, and Morgan was plated for an unearned run on first-year Megan Gardiner's (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) sacrifice fly. Falls singled with one out in the bottom half, but both batters representing the tying run were retired.

Franklin Pierce pulled away with four runs in the fifth, all of which scored with two down. Noke knocked a two-run single, Morgan added an RBI double, and Gardiner came through with an RBI single.

Gipson struck out all three batters she faced swinging in the seventh, and the Purple Knights plated a final run in the bottom portion. Maksian doubled into right center to lead off the inning before coming around when Lemnah beat out an infield single with two down.

The Purple Knights complete the regular season with a three-game series at Bentley University this weekend, continuing a stretch of 14 games in 11 days with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m.