GORHAM, Maine  –  Senior Ashley Tinsman (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) and junior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont/White Mountains Regional) each had solo home runs and freshman Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine) had a late inning two-run double to power top-seeded University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 4-1 win over fifth-seed Castleton University Spartans in the second game of the 2021 Little East Conference softball championship tournament (Gorham Pod). 
           With the win, Southern Maine advances to Thursday's game four and will face UMass Dartmouth at 2 pm.  UMass Dartmouth defeated Castleton 4-2 in the elimination game.  Castleton defeated UMD 4-0 in the opening game. 
 
The Records:
Castleton (15-13)
Southern Maine (30-2-1)
 
How it happened:
Coming off of a tournament opening 4-0 win over UMass Dartmouth, Castleton jumped on the scoreboard first against Southern Maine.   The Spartans used a four-hit top of the first to lead USM 1-0. Junior Kate LaPan (Hudson Falls, N.Y.) and sophomore Hannah Mosher (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) started the inning with back-to-back singles, and junior Jamie Boyle (Pownal, Vermont/Mount Anthony Union) loaded the bases for the Spartans with a laced single into shallow center field.  After taking a strikeout for the first out of the game, LaPan touched home plate on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead.
Castleton nearly made it 2-0 but USM was able to cut down the lead runner on a strong throw from sophomore Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) to Tinsman at home to get the second out.  USM ended the inning as Husky starter Kirsten Pelletier (West Gardiner, Maine/Messalonksee) settled in an got a pop out. 
Castleton remained in front of the Huskies until the bottom of the fourth inning when Tinsman laced a solo home run over the left field fence to tie the score at 1-1.  Tinsman's home run was her seventh of the season and gives her the Huskies' single-season record for home runs.  The former record of six home runs was established in 1986 by Lisa Abrams and has been tied three times, most recently by Sabrina Sevigny in 2008. 
Pelletier retired Castleton in order in the top of the fifth, and Castleton freshman starter Katie Gallagher (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson) worked her way around a fielding error to keep the game 1-1 headed into the sixth. 
            Castleton threated for runs with runners on second and third an no outs after a lead off walk was issued to Mosher and Boyle knocked a single and both players advanced on stolen bases. However, Pelletier came back with a strikeout, a foul out to the catcher and foul out to left field to end the threat.
            In the home half of the inning, USM took the lead. With one out, Nelson cranked a line drive shot into the gap in left field and used her speed to tear around the bases to give USM a slim 2-1 advantage. Tinsman followed with a single up the middle and moved up to second as senior Alexis Brown (Malden, Mass.) drew a walk. With Castleton securing the second out of the game on a foul out to left, Day stepped to the plate and hammered her team-leading 12^th double of the season for two RBI and a 4-2 USM lead.
            In the seventh, Pelletier remained steady working around a pair of singles to end the side and secure her 13^th win of the season improving to 13-0.  Pelletier went seven full and allowed a run (unearned) on eight hits and a walk, while striking out five.  Gallagher took the loss allowing four earned runs on five hits and a walk. She struck out one.
 
Inside the Stats:

• Tinsman was the only repeat hitter for the Huskies finishing 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. She has 49 RBI this season, a USM single-season record. She has established the USM single-game record for RBI in a game (7), and season in 2021 and set the single season record for home runs in a season (7).
• Day's two-run double gave her 21 RBI for the season.  Led by Tinsman's 49, five Huskies have at least 20 RBI: Brown (28), sophomore Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) (26), senior Samanth Hauck (Painted Post, N.Y.) (22) and Day. 
• USM's 30 wins so far this season marks just the second time in program history that the Huskies' have reached 30 wins.  In 2004, USM set a school record with 33 wins (33-11-1).

Up Next:
2021 Little East Conference Championship – Gorham Pod: (Double Elimination)
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Game 1: No. 5 Castleton 4, No. 4 UMass Dartmouth 0
Game 2: No. 1 Southern Maine 4, Castleton 1
Game 3: No. 4 UMass Dartmouth 4, No. 5 Castleton 2 (Castleton Elminated)
 
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Game 4: No. 4 UMass Dartmouth (10-13-1) vs. No. 1 Southern Maine (30-2-1), 2 pm
Game 5: If necessary, 4:30