Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. – Costly errors cost the University of Southern Maine Huskies a pair of non-conference softball games in their final day at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. The Huskies committed five errors in a 7-4 loss to the Endicott College Gulls. In its 7-6 loss to Worcester State, USM made a costly two-out error in the bottom of the sixth to cough up a 4-2 lead.
With the pair of losses, Southern Maine sees its three-game win streak come to a halt and slides to 7-5 on the season. Worcester State improved to 4-1 with its win over the Huskies, while Endicott earned its second win of the season to improve to 2-4.
Endicott juniors Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.) and Emily Hoffman (Malden, Mass.) each had two RBI to lead the Gulls over Southern Maine. Hoffman singles in two runs in the top of the first inning helping stake the Gulls a 3-0 lead early in the game. DiBella, who was 1-for-3, drove in both of her runs in the top of the sixth inning with her first home run of the season. With two down and a runner on first due to a fielding error, DiBella's shot extended the Gull advantage from 5-3 to 7-3 late in the game.
USM freshman Taylor Lux (Arundel, Maine/Thornton Academy) led the Huskies with a 2-for-4 mark at the plate with a pair of RBI. Sophomore Samantha Crossman (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) also had an RBI on a 1-for-4 effort. Lux tallied her first RBI of the game with a two-out single in the bottom of the third and tacked on another with her third double of the season in the bottom of the fifth. Crosman drove in the Huskies' final run of the game with an RBI fielder's choice in the bottom of the seventh.
Endicott Courtney Blake (East Islip, N.Y.) went the distance for the Gulls allowing two earned runs on 10 hits and two walks over seven solid innings of work. Southern Maine freshman Erika Millett (Whitefield, N.H./White Mountains Regional) was the hard-luck loser. Hampered by Huskies' fielding errors, Millett did not allow an earned run, giving up seven hits and a walk in seven innings. Both pitchers struck out four.
In the second game, Worcester State scored five runs, three unearned, in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally from a 4-2 deficit and steal the win from the Huskies. With the game knotted at 1-1 through three innings, Southern Maine's Mary Caron (Lewiston, Maine/St. Dominic's) blasted a three-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to put USM in front 4-1. Caron's homer, the first of her USM career and first of the season, plated senior Lilly Cooper (Lamoine, Maine/Ellsworth) and sophomore Emily York (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonskee). York reached on a fielder's choice, while Cooper singled her way onto base safely.
Worcester took one run back in the bottom of the inning as sophomore Courtney Salisbury (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West) singled one of her two RBIs on the day. Salisbury finished the game batting 3-for-4 at the top of the Lancer lineup with two runs scored.
After a scoreless fifth, USM remained ahead 4-2. The Huskies' threatened for more runs in the top of the sixth loading the bases on consecutive one-out singles from Lux, Caron and freshman Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.), but the Lancers were able to get out of the inning with a double play to keep the deficit to two runs. In the bottom half of the inning, the Huskies' defense erased a lead off single with a double play of their own, before Lancers bounced back with back-to-back singles from junior Sara Pelletier (Leominster, Mass.) and junior Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, Mass.). Salisbury cut the Lancer's deficit to just one run with a double to score Derosier, before senior Katie Stori (Leominster, Mass.) tied the game with a single to bring home Witkowski.
With two outs, the Lancers loaded the bases and Couto walked. With the game knotted up at four, Worcester State scored two unearned run on an infield error to plate Stori and Salisbury making it 6-4 Worcester State. The Lancers added one more run, unearned, when senior Taylor Hanley (Wilmington, Mass.) connected with a single to plate Couto and complete the rally.
The Huskies attempted to rally in the top of the seventh with an RBI double from junior Jen Lynch (Portland, Maine/Deering) and a pinch-hit single from junior Morgan Scavetta (Damariscotta, Maine/Lincoln Academy), but Lancer Marissa Avanzato got the final two outs on a pop up and a fly out for the win.
Avanzato allowed two earned runs in seven innings on 12 hits and two walks. USM freshman Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine/Noble) took the loss allowing four earned runs on 15 hits and two walks.
Playing in its final Florida games, Southern Maine is off until Thursday, March 26. USM is slated to host the University of New England in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m.
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