GORHAM, Maine  – Senior Amber Kelly (Berwick, Maine/Noble) and sophomore Madison Greene (Moultonborough, N.H.) each turned in a strong performance in the circle and sophomore Kayleigh Bohan (Bedford, N.H.) drove in four runs on a 3-for-6 effort at the plate to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a non-conference doubleheader sweep of the University of New England Noreasters Tuesday afternoon at the USM Softball Stadium. 

GAME ONE: Southern Maine 9, University of New England 1 (6 inn)

            With the Huskies cranking out 12 hits, including four for extra bases, Kelly spun a three-hit gem to propel Southern Maine to a 9-1 win.  Kelly scattered three singles and three walks over six innings to earn her sixth win of the season while picking up six strikeouts.  Bohan was 3-for-3 in game one, driving in four runs. Two of Bohan's hits were doubles.  Senior Courtney Davis (Woburn, Mass.) also collected three hits on a 3-for-4 day at the plate, with one RBI.  Sophomore Erin Martin (Biddeford, Maine), and juniors Brittany Plowman (Scarborough, Maine) and Brooke Cross (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) each had two hits. Martin had two RBI, while Cross also drove in a run. 

            Down 1-0 on an unearned run in the top first, USM scored a run in the bottom of the first and the second to take the lead. Davis singled in the first run of the game with a shot to right field, while Bohan drove in the go-ahead run with a double to the center field fence.  

            USM took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth on Martin's RBI double to right, and a UNE fielding error, before busting the game open with a four-run fifth inning.  The Huskies put together the four runs on three hits and a pair of walks. Davis led off with a single, and freshman Hannah Kenney (Oxford, Maine/Oxford Hills) drew a walk, and after a pop fly to the infield for the first out, Kelley worked the count for the second walk of the inning to load the bases.  With the bases full, Bohan cleared them with her second double of the game and three RBI.  UNE got the second out of the inning on another infield pop up, before, Martin singled in the final run of the game to plate Husky pinch-runner senior Neka Dias (San Antonio, Texas/Holmes).  

            After a scoreless top of the sixth, USM was able to score its ninth run of the game to invoke the eight-run rule in the bottom of the inning.  Plowman and Davis each singled around a pop out, and Kenney drew another walk to load the bases for Cross.  Cross then hit a hard shot to third base, and the fielder's choice was fumbled for the game-ending RBI.  

            UNE junior Sydnee Bessler (Everett, Mass.) took the loss allowing four runs (three earned) in 4.0 innings.  She gave up seven hits and three walks while striking out three.  Junior Melissa Sprague (Londonderry, N.H.) pitched the final 1.1 innings allowing five earned runs on five hits and three walks. 

GAME TWO: Southern Maine 2, University of New England 1 

            Greene struck out eight, scattered six hits and did not yield a walk to pick up her second win of the season and lead Southern Maine to a 2-1 win.  With Greene in control in the circle, the Huskies scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the second despite being out hit 6-4 in the game. 

            Following a scoreless first inning, Greene struck out the side in the top of the second.  Collecting two of hits four hits in the home-half of the second, USM used Lux's one-out double and an RBI single from Kelly to go ahead 1-0.  After a grounder put Kelly on third, the Huskies' senior crossed home plate after an UNE fielding error on the potential third out for its 2-0 lead. 

            UNE took one back in the top of the third with an RBI ground out from senior Sam Dreissig (Linden, N.J./Warren Hills Regional). Dreissig drove in junior Alexis Kapsambelis (Merrimack, N.H.), who reached on a fielder's choice grounder and moved to third on a long single to the right field gap from sophomore Sarah Lachapelle (Gilford, N.H./Gilford).  With runners on second and third and two outs, Greene bounced back to end the inning with her fourth strikeout of the game. 

            Holding onto a narrow one-run lead, Greene dominated over the next four innings, retiring nine batters consecutively.  In the top of the seventh, UNE broke up the string with a pinch hit single to center field from freshman Sophia Monti (Lincoln, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy), but Greene's defense backed her up getting the next two outs on a fly ball to left and a fielder's choice ground out to cut down the lead runner.  With one out remaining, Greene sealed the win, picking up her season-high eighth strikeout of the game. 

            Lachapelle finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate for UNE, while Dreissig was 1-for-3 with the RBI.  Freshman Molly Drescher (Merrimac, Mass./Pentucket Regional) took the loss for the Noreasters in the circle.  Allowing two runs (one earned), Drescher gave up four hits and two walks, while striking out one. 

            Southern Maine is back in action on Wednesday (3:30 p.m.) for a non-conference doubleheader at Bowdoin College. 

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