MANSFIELD, Conn.  –  Playing in the Little East Conference Softball Championship Tournament for the first time since the 2010 season, the fifth-seeded University of Southern Maine Huskies played hard but were eliminated in a pair of closely played games in the second day of the tourney Friday afternoon at Eastern Connecticut State University's Mansfield Outdoor Complex.  Southern Maine fell to third-seeded Keene State College Owls 5-3 in the winners bracket before dropping a 7-3 decision to second-seeded Western Connecticut State Colonials in an elimination game.

With the pair of losses, Southern Maine stands at 23-18 and will await a possible ECAC Division III New England Region Tournament berth. Keene State improved to 16-17 win the win over the Huskies, while Western Connecticut upped its record to 26-13.

GAME ONE: No. 3 KSC 5, No. 5 Southern Maine 3

Keene State scored all five of its runs in the top of the fifth inning capitalizing on the Huskies' lone error of the game.  Four of the Owls runs were unearned in the decisive fifth inning and all five came with two outs. 

In a pitcher's dual, Southern Maine struck first in the game taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth as sophomore Danni Humphrey (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) launched her first home run of the season over the center field fence to give her team the lead.  Prior to Humphrey's HR, both team's pitchers kept their opponents off of the scoreboard.  USM starter freshman Erika Millett (Whitefield, N.H./White Mountains Regional) had five strikeouts through the first four innings, allowing just two hits.  KSC starter junior Mariah Crisp (Greenland, N.H./Portsmouth) allowed seven hits through four innings, but just one run, while tallying eight strikeouts. 

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the fifth, KSC materialized its scoring threat following one-out walk and a double down the left field line from sophomore Aliza Guerrero (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield-Ludlowe).  Southern Maine got its second out of the inning on a strong defensive play from freshman SS Taylor Lux (Arundel, Maine/Thornton Academy) who gunned down the runner at home on a fielder's choice ground out, but KSC junior Stephanie Long (Salem, N.H.) was able to plate the Owls' first run of the game with an RBI single up the middle on the next play and senior Sara Bracken (Windham, N.H./Salem) drew the Owls' second walk of the inning to load the bases. 

With two down and the bases full, the Huskies' seemed to be out of the inning without any further damage on a ground ball, but a muffed throw allowed the second Owls' run of the inning. Ahead 2-0, junior Morgan Fallon (Reading, Mass.) made it 3-0 with an RBI single up the middle before sophomore Jen Galavotti (Marian, Mass.) singled through the left side for two RBIs and a 5-0 Owl lead.  USM was able to end the inning as Fallon was thrown out at third attempting to extend her hit.

Down 5-1, Southern Maine struck for two runs in the bottom half of the inning as sophomore Samantha Crosman (South Berwick, Maine/Noble) stroked a two-out single up the middle to cut the deficit to 5-3.  Crosman drove in freshman Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine/Noble) and senior Kristen Duross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy).  Kelly led off the inning reaching safely after being hit by a pitch, while Duross took advantage of a KSC infield error. 

Kelly, who entered the game in relief of USM starter Millett to start the sixth inning, retired the Owls in order to keep the game at 5-3 in favor of KSC.  However, Crisp, who allowed seven hits through the first four innings, only allowed three more over the next three innings to secure the win. Millett took the loss allowing one earned run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts.  Crisp allowed one earned run on 10 hits and three walks while striking out nine in the win.

Game Two: No. 2 Western Connecticut 7, No. 5 USM 3

 Western Connecticut junior Michaela Roche (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) hit a pair of home runs and drove in four runs to lead the Colonials to a 7-3 win over the Huskies in an elimination game.  Roche was 2-for-4 at the plate as the Colonials combined for a 10-hit attack.  Freshman Jenna Gaudioso (East Haven, Conn.) also stroked a home run to drive in two runs.

Western Connecticut struck first, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI single from senior Christine Bighinatti (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and the first of Roche's two homeruns – a two-run blast over the right-center field wall.  After a scoreless bottom of the first, USM clawed its way back into the game in the bottom of the second plating a pair of runs to trail 3-2.  The Huskies' Duross led off the inning with a sharply hit infield single, before junior Mary Caron (Lewiston, Maine/St. Dominic's) blasted a two-run home run of her own to right field.  The home run was Caron's third of the season and pulled USM to within a run of the Colonials. 

The Colonials' bats were up to the task however, as they answered right back with two runs in the top of the third on another two-run blast from Roche. The Colonials tacked on their sixth and seventh runs of the game in the top of the fourth as Gaudioso homered to left field driving in N. Woojkiewicz. 

Southern Maine made it 7-3 in the bottom of the fourth plating a run on singles from freshman Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) and Caron and an RBI single from Humphrey, but it was as close as they would get as Western Connecticut junior Emily Cintorino (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) did not allow a hit nor a runner to advance to second base in the final innings for the win.

Cintorino finished the game allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings.  She struck out five.  Millett was tagged with the loss allowing seven earned runs on eight hits and a walk in 3.1 innings.  Kelly relieved Millett in the fourth and pitched the final 3.2 innings.  She allowed two hits and a walk without a run.

2015 Little East Conference Softball Championship Tournament

MANSFIELD, Conn. (Eastern Connecticut) – Double Elimination

Day 1: Thursday, April 30

GM 1 - No. 1 Eastern Connecticut  9, No. 6 UMass Dartmouth 0 (6 inn.)

GM 2 - No. 5 Southern Maine 8, No. 2 Western Connecticut 7

GM 3 - No. 3 Keene State 4, No. 4 Plymouth State 0

GM 4 – No. 2 Western Connecticut 9, No. 6 UMass Dartmouth 0 (5 inn.)

 Day 2: Friday, May 1

GM 5 – No. 1 Eastern Connecticut 12 vs. No. 4 Plymouth State, 10 (5 inn.)

GM 6 – No. 5 Southern Maine 3,  No. 3 Keene State, 5

GM 7 -  No. 2 Western Connecticut 7, No. 5 Southern Maine 3

GM 8 – No. 1 Eastern Connecticut 3, No. 3 Keene State 0

Day 3: Saturday, May 2

GM 9 – No. 3 Keene State vs. No. 2 Western Connecticut, 10 a.m.

GM 10 – No. 1 Eastern Connecticut vs. Winner Game 9, 12:00 p.m.

GM 11 – IF NECESSARY, 2 p.m.

- cac -