With the sweep of the Owls, Southern Maine extends its winning streak to three games and improves to 18-14 overall and 5-5 in the Little East.  The Huskies' 18 wins are the most in a season since USM posted a 19-22 season in 2007.  Southern Maine has six regular season contest remaining before the start of the Little East tournament.  Keene State drops its fourth straight games to fall to 10-14 overall and 5-5 in conference action.

GAME ONE:

Millett struck out six and scattered five hits and a walk over seven innings to pick up her 10th win of the season as the Huskies' took down KSC 3-1.  Millett, who did not allow an earned run, to improve to 10-7 did not yield an extra base hit in the victory.

Southern Maine took an early lead after the bottom of the first inning as Kelly stroked an RBI double to left field as part of a two-out scoring rally.  With two down, USM received three consecutive hits from freshman Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.), senior Kristen Duross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) and Kelly.  Davis, who advanced to third on Duross' single, scored on Kelly's RBI single, while Duross was cut down at home on a strong relay from left field to catcher from the Owls.

KSC came back to tie the score up at 1-1 in the top of the third on an RBI single to right field from senior Sara Bracken (Windham, N.H./Salem), but the Huskies returned for two runs in the bottom half of the inning to lead 3-1. 

Junior Jen Lynch (Portland, Maine/Deering) earned a lead off walk and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Taylor Lux (Arundel, Maine/Thornton Academy).  Junior Mary Caron (Lewiston, Maine/St. Dominic's) took first despite striking out due to a throwing error to set up USM with runners at first and second and one out.   Davis' ground out made it runners on second and third with two down before Duross came through in the clutch with a two-run single scoring Caron and Lynch.

With Millett on the mound the Huskies were able to hold for the 3-1 win as USM kept the Owls off the scoreboard for the final four innings.  Millett picked up three of her six strikeouts in the final four innings and was able to work her way around a USM fielding error in the fifth to seal the victory.  Keene State sophomore Ashlee McGan (Southhampton, Mass./Hampshire) took the loss despite pitching a solid game for the Owls.  McGan, who also struck out six, allowed one earned run on seven hits and two walks. 

Game Two:

In game two, Kelly ignored four Huskies' field errors to come out on top with a 5-1 win to improve to 7-6 on the season.  Kelly did not allow an extra base hit while scattering six hits over seven innings while striking out five. 

Kelly's strong performance in the circle was helped by two RBIs each from Lux and Caron.  Lux was 2-for-3 at the plate, including her fourth double of the season.  Sophomore Danni Humphrey (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) accounted for the Huskies' other RBI. 

KSC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as junior Morgan Fallon's (Reading, Mass./Redgin) fielder's choice grounder plated junior Stephanie Long (Salem, N.H.).  Long who led off with a single up the middle came around to score on a single from Bracken, a wild pitch, a USM and Fallon's grounder. USM got out of the inning without any more damage despite committing one of its four errors in the game with a Caron to Humphrey to Davis double play. 

USM took the lead for good in the bottom of the second scoring a pair of runs on three hits.  Sophomore Samantha Crosman (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) started the rally with a one-out single up the middle and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.  Humphrey collected her RBI lacing the ball up the middle for a single.

Tied 1-1, Lynch followed Humphrey's single with a walk and made it runners on one and two with two outs.  With runners in scoring position, Lux came through with a big hit smacking a double to the right field gap to make it 3-1 in favor of USM.

USM added three more runs in the top of the fourth to make it 5-1 and seize control.  Lux drove in USM's first run with a sacrifice fly to right field, before Caron had a two-run single up the middle.  

KSC had a chance to make a big inning in the top of the sixth as USM committed a pair of errors setting up Owls on first and third with two down, but the Huskies' Kelly fought back to get the final out on a strike out. 

KSC freshman Olivia Indorf (South Portland, Maine) took the loss for the Owls.  Indorf allowed five earned runs on five hits and four walks in four innings.  McGan came on to pitch the final two innings.  McGan kept USM off the scoreboard allowing a pair of hits while striking out one.

Southern Maine hosts UMaine Farmington in a non-conference doubleheader on Monday (3:30 p.m.).  Keene State hosts Castleton State in a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday (1:00 p.m.). 

NOTES: With two RBIs in today's doubleheader, USM senior Kristen Duross is now 10th in USM career record with 73.  Duross has 130 career hits through 147 games.

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