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Box Score 2 SALEM, Mass. – Freshman Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine/Noble) was 4-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored and fired a five-hit shutout in the second game of a doubleheader as the University of Southern Maine Huskies earned a pair of wins over the Salem State University Vikings in non-conference softball action Thursday afternoon at Alumni Field. Southern Maine rallied for a 2-1 win over the Vikings in the opener and then cruised to a six-inning 8-0 win in the second game to complete the sweep.
With the two wins, Southern Maine halts a four-game losing streak and improves its overall record to 9-7. With its pair of losses, Salem State sees its four-game win streak come to an end, dropping its overall record to 10-4.
Kelly picked up her fourth win of the season scattering five hits over six innings without allowing a walk to lead USM to the 8-0 win in the second game. Kelly helped her own cause at the plate going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored as part of an 11-hit Husky attack.
After a scoreless three and a half innings, the Huskies' bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) led off with a triple and senior Kristen Duross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) broke up the shut out with an RBI single to score Davis. A double from Kelly moved Duross to third and sophomore Samantha Crosman (South Berwick, Maine/Noble) got enough on a ground out to plate Duross for a 2-0 USM lead. Sophomore Danni Humphrey (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) drove in USM's third run of the inning with an RBI single, before senior Lily Cooper (Lamoine, Maine/Ellsworth) drove in the final run of the inning with a triple, scoring Humphrey.
The score remained 4-0 in favor of the Huskies through five and half innings before USM plated four more runs in the bottom of the sixth to shorten the game due to the eight-run rule. Kelly led off the inning with her second double of the game and came around to score on an RBI double from Crosman. A pair of walks and a passed ball made it 6-0 Huskies, before Cooper and Taylor Lux each singled in runs for the 8-0 final.
In the first game, USM rallied from a 1-0 deficit with a run in the bottom of the fourth and a run in the bottom of the seventh for the 2-1 win. Freshman Erika Millett (Whitfield, N.H./White Mountains Regional), who struck out four, earned her fourth win of the season, allowing one earned run on nine hits and five walks over seven innings.
Salem State took the 1-0 lead early on an RBI single from sophomore Katelyn Doherty (Tewksbury, Mass.) in the top of the second inning. Doherty's RBI came with two outs as Millett earned a fly out and a ground out before the Vikings received back-to-back singles from freshmen Jen Crovo (Melrose, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) and Marissa Peri (Barnstable, Mass.). Doherty's single marked the third straight hit for the Vikings following the two-out mark, and the Vikings threatened to tack on more runs. After Doherty's's single, Doherty and Perri each advanced a base on a passed ball and the Vikings loaded the bases when Millett issued a walk to freshman Marisa Sanchez (Framingham, Mass.). With the bases full, the Huskies got out of the inning with a crucial defensive play as Davis got the fielder's choice out at home plate.
Salem State remained in front of the Huskies through three and a half innings before USM took advantage of a costly Vikings error to score the equalizer in the bottom of the fourth. USM led off the inning with three consecutive singles from junior Mary Caron (Lewiston, Maine/St. Dominic's), Davis and Duross. However, a strong defensive play from the Vikings cut down Davis as she attempted to advance on Duross' hit. With one out, Caron came around to score an unearned run on an error by the Salem State outfield before Viking freshman Rachel Cyr (Amesbury, Mass.) got the final two outs on a fly ball and a strikeout to end the inning.
Both teams battle through scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth. In the top of the seventh, Millett retired the first two batters she faced on a ground out and an infield fly before allowing her final hit of the game, a single. With a runner on, Millett bounced back to get the final out forcing another infield pop up. In the bottom half of the inning, USM took advantage of a lead off error and a pair of singles from sophomore Allison Pillar (Hollis, Maine/Bonny Eagle) and Lux to set up the game-winning run. With runners on all three bases and one out, Caron drove in the game-winning run with an RBI fielder's choice.
Southern Maine will continue to compete on the road, traveling to Rhode Island College for a Little East Conference doubleheader on Saturday (1:00 p.m.). Salem State hosts Bridgewater State in a MASCAC doubleheader on Friday (1:00 p.m.).
NOTES: Freshman Courtney Davis leads the Huskies with 15 RBI and is batting a team-leading .404 through 16 games. She is 23-for-57 at the plate with nine runs scored, two doubles, one triple and two home runs.
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