Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BIDDEFORD, Maine – Senior captain Stefanie Stockwell (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) earned a pair of wins in the circle allowing just three earned runs over 12 innings to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a sweep of the University of New England Nor'easters in a non-conference softball doubleheader at Claude Dubois Field. USM defeated UNE 5-3 in the first game and 6-5 in the second.
With the sweep, Southern Maine improves to 4-8 on the season. The Nor'easters fall to 8-6 with the pair of losses.
Stockwell earned the first win with five innings of relief pitching in the opener and then tossed a complete game in the second game to improve to 4-4 on the season. Stockwell aided her own effort at the plate combining for four hits, three RBI and four runs scored. Freshman Samantha Crosman (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) had a strong day at the plate, collecting six hits, including a pair of doubles, in at bats and four RBI.
Trailing 1-0 in the opener, Southern Maine scored four runs in the top of the third inning to secure the victory. After back-to-back walks to freshman Amanda Henrickson-Belloguet (Friendship, Maine/Medomak Valley) and senior Cara Radino (Franklin, N.J./Wallkill Valley), junior Lily Cooper (Lamoine, Maine/Ellsworth) loaded the bases with a bunt single. Stockwell then drove in the Huskies first two runs of the game with a double to right field. After an out, Humphrey sacrificed in a run with a bunt to score Cooper, before Crosman drove in the first of her four RBI of the day with a single to left field to give USM a 4-1 advantage.
UNE took back two runs in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single from sophomore Amanda Vallante (Dracut, Mass.). The Nor'easters final run of the inning was unearned against Stockwell due to a fielding error.
Ahead 4-3, Stockwell kept the Huskies' lead in tact firing scoreless fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Stockwell retired the side in order in the fourth, and picked up two strikeouts in the fifth. In the sixth, Stockwell worked her way around an error to keep the Huskies ahead by a run.
In the top of the seventh, USM plated an insurance run when Crosman struck for a two-out RBI single up the middle for a 5-3 Huskies' advantage. Southern Maine held for the win in the bottom of the inning. After a lead off single by freshman Sydney Helmbrecht (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Huskies' freshman catcher Samantha DiBiase (South Portland, Maine) erased the threat throwing her out on an attempted steal. Stockwell finished the inning getting her fifth strikeout of the game and then a groundout.
In the second game, Cooper's RBI double and Stockwell's RBI single in the top of the sixth proved to be decisive. Scoring a run in the first, second and third, including a solo home run from junior Kristen Duross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) in the third, the Huskies held a 3-1 lead over UNE through four innings played.
The Huskies increased their lead to 4-1 in the top of the fifth as Crosman continued her timely hitting smacking her second double of the day to center field plating Stockwell. Stockwell led off the inning in with a single and then moved herself into scoring position with heads up running on the pay.
UNE made it 4-3 in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of a walk and a Huskies' fielding error for its first run, before senior Amanda Vaudreuil (Windham, N.H.) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Both runs were unearned.
With its lead diminished to one run, USM strung together three hits to score a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. A one-out single from Radino was followed by an RBI double from Cooper for a 5-3 USM lead. Cooper touched home for the Huskies' final run of the game on an RBI single from Stockwell.
Stockwell retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning and the Huskies' went down in order in the top of the seventh, before the Nor'easters rallied in their final at bats to make the game interesting. UNE's Moore-Haskell drew a lead off walk, before Stockwell got a line out to right field. With one down Stockwell yielded another walk to Helmbrecht, before getting the second out of the inning on a pop fly to shortstop. With two-down and two runners on, the Nor'easters junior Adrienne Chase (Holden, Mass.) cranked a two-run double to left-center field to cut the deficit to one run, 6-5. Stockwell bounced back and held for the win retiring the final UNE batter with an infield pop up.
Southern Maine is scheduled to host St. Joseph's College (Maine) on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.) for a non-conference doubleheader. UNE travels to Salve Regina for a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader on Saturday (12:00 p.m.).
–cac–
