GORHAM, Maine  –  Freshman Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) spun 4.2 inning of outstanding relief to earn the win and the top-seed University of Southern Maine Huskies rallied to earn a 10-8 win over the fourth-seed UMass Dartmouth Corsairs in game four of the 2021 Little East Conference tournament Gorham pod.
            Earning its 31^st win of the season, USM advances to the championship series of the 2021 LEC Championship and will host second-seed Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday, May 15 (1:00 pm) in a best-of-three series.  Eastern Connecticut defeated sixth-seed Keene State College 4-2 earlier today in game four of the ECONN Pod.
 
The Records:
UMass Dartmouth (10-14-1)
Southern Maine (31-2-1)
 
How it happened:
Entering the game with the Huskies trailing 5-2 with the bases loaded and one out, Merrill pitched her team out of a jam forcing a ground out and ending the threat with a strikeout to send the Huskies to the home half of the third down 6-2.
Facing a four-run deficit, USM started the inning with back-to-back singles from junior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont/White Mountains Regional) and senior Ashley Tinsman (Cape Elizabeth, Maine).  After a foul out, sophomore Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) singled to load the bases and freshman Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) drew an RBI walk to score the first of four runs in the inning for USM as they pulled even with the Corsairs. 
With two outs, sophomore Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) knocked in a run singling through the right side, scoring Tinsman, before USM took advantage of a UMD throwing error to knot the game up at 6.
In the top of the fourth, Merrill retired the Corsairs in order, and Leidemann-Smith and Day each had RBI singles as USM assumed a 8-6 lead.  Leidemann drove in Nelson who led off the inning with a single, while Day scored senior Alexis Brown (Malden, Mass.) who rapped out her team-leading 13^th double of the season in her at bat.
In the fifth, Merrill worked her way around a single and a passed ball recording a strikeout and two ground outs, and her teammates added two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a two-run single from Leidemann scoring Nelson and senior Erin Martin (Biddeford, Maine).  Martin reached on a single through the left side, while Nelson reached on a fielder's choice grounder.
Down 10-6, the Corsairs pushed back in the top of the sixth scoring a pair of runs on two hits and a Husky error.  Merrill opened the inning with a strikeout and a ground out, but UMD senior Leah Major (Fairhaven, Mass.) reached on a fielding error to extend the inning.  Taking advantage of its new life, UMD scored its first run on an RBI double to deep center field from senior Kylie Fletcher (Dighton, Mass.).  UMD made it 10-8 on the next play as senior Jill Richards (Kingston, Mass./Silver Lake Regional) singled in Fletcher before Merrill ended the inning with a swinging strikeout.
USM had a runner on third in the bottom of the inning but were unable to score an insurance run, as the Huskies went to the top of the seventh with a two-run 10-8 lead over UMD. In the seventh, Merrill showed composure after giving up a one-out triple to sophomore Victoria Rossetti (Valley Stream, N.Y.), coming back for her fifth strikeout of her relief performance and then getting a ground out to second to end the game and earn her fifth win of the season.
Merrill (5-0) pitched 4.2 innings allowing two runs (both unearned) on four hits. She did not yield a walk.  Freshman Kaitlyn Shirshac (Enfield, Conn.) absorbed the loss in 1.0 inning of relief. She allowed four earned runs on six hits.  Shirshac relieved Richards who pitched the first three innings before giving way. Richards allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and a pair of walks in 3.0 innings.  Junior Anna Kerwood (Florence, Mass.) closed the game for UMD, pitching the final two innings. She did not allow a run and gave up two hits and two walks.
 
Inside the Stats:

• Liedemann-Smith, senior Samantha Hauck (Painted Post, N.Y.) and Nelson led USM with three hits each.  Nelson was 3-for-5 with three runs scored, while Liedemann-Smith was 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Hauck had a pair of RBI.
• USM connected for 16 hits in the contest (16-for-34). Martin and Day were also repeat hitters for USM.
• Prior to today's contest, Merrill's last appearance was April 18 against Keene State.  Merrill earned 10-4 non-conference complete game win. 
• Fletcher and Rosetti each had three hits for UMD. Fletcher was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. 
• Richards was 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and three RBI to pace the Corsairs, while junior Lindsay Chubbuck (Berkley, Mass.) had two RBI. 

 
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 Eliminated)
 
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Game 4: No. 1 Southern Maine (31-2-1) 10, No. 4 UMass Dartmouth (10-14-1) 8
 
Saturday, May 15, 2021: Little East Conference Championship (Best of Three)
Game 1:  No. 2 Eastern Connecticut (28-2) vs. No. 1 Southern Maine (31-2-1), 1:00 pm
Game 2:  No. 2 Eastern Connecticut (28-2) vs. No. 1 Southern Maine (31-2-1), 3:30 pm
Game 3: If necessary, 6:00 pm