Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GORHAM, Maine - Sophomore Brooke Cross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) launched her second home run of the season, and freshman Madison Greene (Moultonborough, N.H.) earned her third consecutive win to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 10-2, five-inning win over the Rhode Island College Anchormen in the first game of a Little East Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon at the USM Softball Stadium. USM dropped the second game 3-0 in 10 innings despite an outstanding pitching effort from junior hurler Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine/Noble).
GAME ONE: SOUTHERN MAINE 10, RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 2 (5 INNINGS)
Greene scattered three hits and a walk over five innings, and Cross was 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs batted in and a run scored to lead a 10-hit Husky attack in game one. Greene did not give up an earned run in the win. Working her way around a fielding error in the first, Greene game up two of the three hits in the game to RIC, but limited the Anchormen to just a single in the fifth to close the game.
Trailing 2-0 after the top of the first, Cross put the Huskies' on the board in her first at bat, lacing a two-out RBI double to left field for her first hit and RBI of the game. In the bottom of the second, Cross was part of a five-run inning for the Huskies, blasting her second home run of the season for a two-run shot. With singles from senior Samantha Crosman (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) and junior Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) sandwiched around a drawn walk from junior Taylor Lux (Arundel, Maine/Thornton Academy), senior Mary Caron (Lewiston, Maine/St. Dominic's Academy) hit a two-run double to score Lux and Crosman to put USM up 3-2. Senior Allison Pillar (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Davis. With a 4-2 lead in hand and with two outs, Cross stepped in and crushed a two-out home run over right center field for a 6-2 lead.
USM closed out the game, earning the eight-run mercy rule, with four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth. Davis had a two-run single up the middle to make it 8-2, before Pillar shut the door on the game with a two-run double to left center for the 10-2 final.
GAME TWO: RIC 3, SOUTHERN MAINE 0 (10 INNINGS)
RIC bounced back in game two with timely hitting in the top of the 10th to come out on the winning end of a pitching duel. With the international tie-breaker rule in effect and a lead off single from senior Lauren Duvall (East Greenwich, R.I.), sophomore Emma Simmons (Saunderstown, R.I./North Kingstown) hit a two-run single to key the rally, while sophomore Kelsey Burgess (North Providence, R.I.) had an RBI double to left to account for RIC's three runs.
Kelly, who held the Anchormen scoreless through nine innings, allowing just three hits until the 10th, was the hard-luck loser for Southern Maine. Kelly, who did not record an out in the 10th, allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks, while striking out two. Greene, the game-one starter, came on in relief of Kelly in the 10th recording all three outs, allowing one hit.
Sophomore Briana Gough (West Warwick, R.I.) went the distance for RIC, holding the Huskies to six hits and a walk over 10 innings. She struck out five in the victory and did not yield and extra base hit.
UP NEXT
Southern Maine hosts UMass Boston on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.) in a critical Little East Conference doubleheader. Rhode Island College hosts UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.) in an LEC doubleheader.
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