GORHAM, Maine – Senior Ashley Tinsman (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) and sophomore Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) drove in five and four runs each to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a pair of Little East Conference wins over the Keene State College Owls Saturday afternoon at the USM Softball Stadium.  Graduate student Kirsten Pelletier (West Gardiner, Maine/Messalonskee) pitched USM to an 8-0 (5 inning) win in game one and senior Alexis Brown (Malden, Mass) led USM to a 10-1 (6 inning) win in game two.
            With the pair of wins, Southern Maine continues the program's best start and improves to 18-1-1 overall and remains undefeated in LEC play at 8-0.  Keene State is now 1-9 overall and 1-5 in the LEC.    The Huskies are back in action at Keene State College on Sunday in a non-conference doubleheader. Fans are not permitted at KSC athletic contests, but can follow USM Athletics online at southernmainehuskies.com
 
GAME ONE: Southern Maine 8, Keene State 0 (5 inning)

• Pelletier was dominant in the circle earning her seventh win (7-0) of the season.  Pelletier scattered four hits and a walk over five innings and struck out four.  All four hits were singles. ­
• USM took the lead in the bottom of the second on a two-run double from Scott, and plated a third taking advantage of one of four KSC errors for a 3-0 lead. 
• Tinsman had a bases-clearing double to right center as part of a five-run bottom of the fourth.  Sophomore Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) connected on an RBI single in the inning while USM's fifth run came at the hands of a KSC defensive error.
• The Huskies had five hits in the fourth in addition to Tinsman and Leidemann-Smith.  Freshmen Belle Snyder (Epping, NH) and Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) and junior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont) each had singles.
• In the top of the fifth, Pelletier worked her way around a bunt single with a pair of strikeouts to end the game. 
• Keene State senior Alexis Blanchette (Hopkinton, N.H.), junior Kyle Frank (Acton, Mass.), and sophomores Sara Cote (Lisbon, Conn.) and Kate Fisher (Pelham, N.H.) each had a hit for the Owls. Blanchette absorbed the loss for KSC allowing eight runs (five earned) on 10 hits and two walks.

 
GAME TWO: Southern Maine 10, Keene State 1 (6 innings)

• KSC took an early lead with RBI single off of the bat of sophomore Faith Barbieri in the top of the second. With one out, KSC used three consecutive hits including a single from sophomore Gianna Zanchelli (Yonkers, NY), and a double from sophomore Grace Hallett (Dover, NH) before Barbieri's RBI.
• With a 1-0 lead, KSC starter Olivia Albert (Old Town, Maine) kept USM off of the scoreboard and hitless until the fourth inning.  Albert took the eventual loss going four innings and allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk. 
• USM tied the Owls with a run in the fourth on an RBI single through the left side from Leidemann-Smith.  Leidemann-Smith drove in Tinsman who reached on a single and came around to third on a double from Brown. 
• USM took control in the sixth with six runs for a 7-1 lead.  Brown and Scott each had two run doubles in the innings.  Tinsman sealed the win in the sixth with a two-run double for the final.
• Brown moved to 7-0 with the win. She allowed one earned run on seven hits and four walks.  She struck out five.