BOSTON – Senior Kristen Duross (Saco, Maine/Thorton Academy) drove in a pair of runs as part of a five-run eighth-inning to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 5-0 win over the UMass Boston Beacons in the first game of a Little East Conference softball doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at the UMB Softball Field.  The Huskies, who swept the Beacons with a 4-1 victory in the second game, clinched their first berth into the Little East Conference Tournament Championship since the 2010 season. 

            With the pair of wins, Southern Maine runs its win-streak to five games and improves its overall record to 20-14 and 7-5 in the Little East.  It is the first time since the 2006 season the Huskies have met the 20-win plateau.  UMass Boston suffered its 12th defeat after being swept by Southern Maine to fall to 4-24 overall and 1-11 in the LEC. 

GAME ONE:

            Battling through seven scoreless innings, the Huskies exploded for five runs on five hits, a walk and a Beacons' error in the top of the eighth to earn the 5-0 extra-inning win over UMass Boston.

            With one out, sophomore Danni Humphrey (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) and Allison Pillar (Hollis, Maine/Bonny Eagle) started the Huskies' rally with back-to-back singles.  A UMB error on a junior Morgan Scavetta (Damariscotta, Maine/Lincoln Academy) grounder left the Huskies with the bases full and one out.  Freshman Taylor Lux (Arundel, Maine/Thornton Academy) drove in the Huskies' first run of the game singling to center field.  USM made it 2-0 when junior Mary Caron (Lewiston, Maine/St. Dominic's) drew a bases loaded walk.

            The Beacons cut down a potential third run for the Huskies' with a smart fielder's choice play at home plate on a grounder from freshman Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.), but Duross notched her 25th and 26th RBIs of the season with a laced single up the middle to make it 4-0 USM. The Huskies tacked on one more run in the inning as freshman Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine/Noble) followed up Duross' single up the middle with one of her own.

            In the bottom half of the inning, Huskies' freshman Erika Millett (Whitefield, N.H./White Mountains Regional) continued her strong work in the circle retiring the Beacons in order with a strikeout, infield pop up and a ground out.  Millett improved to 11-7 with the win, picking up her second shut out of the season.  Millett scattered eight hits and two walks over eight innings while striking out six. 

            UMB freshman Kaera Wyse (Danvers, Mass./Essex Agricultural Tech) took the loss allowing two earned runs on eight hits and one walk.  Wyse had eight strikeouts in the loss.

GAME TWO:

            Southern Maine scored three runs in the top of the fourth and added another in the top of the seventh while riding a strong pitching performance from Kelly to take a 4-1 win over UMass Boston in the second game.  Kelly improved her overall record to 8-6 allowing one earned run on four hits in seven innings of solid work.  Kelly, who did not allow a walk, struck out four. 

            Humphrey drove in USM's first run with an RBI double in the top of the fourth to score Kelly.  Kelly put herself in scoring position with a one-out double of her own.  The Huskies' then scored two more runs as the Beacons committed a pair of costly fielding errors. 

            With Kelly in control in the circle, the score remained 3-0 in favor of the Huskies heading into the top of the seventh.  Southern Maine scored its final run of the game on an RBI double from Duross.  With one out, Caron and Davis connected for consecutive singles before Duross notched her 27th RBI of the season with her sixth double of the season. 

            The Beacons scored their lone run of the doubleheader in the bottom half of the seventh as sophomore Lauren Mitsiaris (Taunton, Mass.) belted her second home run of the season with one out, but Kelly came back to get the final two outs of the inning to secure the win.

            UMB pitcher senior Michelle Zullo (Everett, Mass.) took the loss allowing two earned runs on nine hits and one walk.

            Southern Maine hosts UMaine Farmington in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday (3:30 p.m.) for its next contest.  UMass Boston will host UMass Dartmouth on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) in an LEC doubleheader. 

NOTES:  With two RBIs in today's doubleheader with UMass Boston, USM freshman Courtney Davis has moved into fourth place in single-season RBIs.  She is tied with former All-Region outfielder Meredith Bradley (Bickford) with 34. 

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