GORHAM, Maine  –  Sophomore Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, Ontario) threw a complete-game four-hit shutout to lead the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors to a 7-0 game two win over University of Southern Maine Huskies to claim the 2021 Little East Conference Tournament Championship.  Eastern Connecticut claimed the best-of-three game series earning a 8-4 win in game one.
            Ranked sixth nationally by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), Eastern moved to 30-2 with the pair of wins and claimed its sixth LEC tournament title.  The 2021 regular season champions, Southern Maine falls to 31-4-1.  Southern Maine will await a possible NCAA berth, which will be announced on Monday, May 17 at 1 pm.
 
The Records:
Eastern Connecticut (30-2)
Southern Maine (31-4-1)
 
Game One: ECSU 8, USM 4
Junior Laura Zenk (Hermon, Maine) was 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of triples and three RBI to pace ECSU to an 8-4 win in game one. Rapping out 11 hits, the Warriors connected for six extra base hits, including a two-run home run from junior Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven, Conn.) as part of a pivotal four-run top of the fifth inning.
USM struck first taking a 2-0 lead in its first at bat as sophomore Lauren Liedemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) and freshman Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine) each had RBI singles.  USM had four hits and a walk in the inning, chasing ECSU starter junior Carley Stoker (Sandy Creek, NY) from the circle.  Stoker swapped places with junior Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange, Conn.) with the bases loaded and Matyasovsky got the next two outs to end the threat.
ECSU took the lead in the top of the third as Vilchez led off with a double, moved to second on a bunt single from Zenk, and came around to score on an RBI ground out from graduate student Cassie Woods (Mystic, Conn.) for the Warriors first run.  Senior Alexis Tyrell (Torrington, Conn.) pulled her team even with an RBI double to left field, and SanGiovanni drove in the go-ahead run with a single through the left side for a 3-2 lead.
ECSU made it 4-2 in the top of the fourth on an RBI triple from Zenk, but USM came back to tie the game in the home half of the inning with two runs to make it 4-4.  USM sophomore Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine) led off the inning with a double and took third on an ground out.  Senior Samantha Hauck (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning Painted Post) drove her in with an RBI single through the left side, making it a one run game.  ECSU made it two outs against the Huskies with a play to cut down the lead runner; however, junior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont) connected on a double to put runners as second and third.  ECSU opted to intentionally walk USM senior Ashley Tinsman (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), loading the bases.  USM was able to pull even with ECSU as senior Alexis Brown (Malden, Mass.) drew an RBI walk.
            Locked up at 4-4, ECSU struck for four runs in the fifth. After Matsayovsky drew a lead off walk, SanGiovanni belted her two-run home run over the 220 mark in center field for a 6-4 Warrior lead.  After SanGiovanni's fourth home run of the season, USM recorded a pair of outs around an infield single and a hit-by-pitch before Zenk laced a triple to the wall in the right field gap for the 8-4 lead.
            Stoker returned to the circle in the bottom of the fifth, and kept the Huskies off the board working around a two-out single from USM sophomore Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) and then came back to retire the side in order in the bottom of the sixth.  Still down 8-4 in their final at bats, the Huskies had runners on second and third but were unable to capitalize. 
            Matsayovsky earned the win for ECSU pitching 3.2 innings allowing two earned runs.  Stoker pitched 3.1 innings allowing two earned runs on seven hits. USM graduate student Kirsten Pelletier (West Gardiner, Maine/Messalonskee) took the loss allowing seven earned runs on nine hits. She struck out seven in 4.1 innings. Freshman Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) pitched 2.2 innings of relief allowing one earned run on two hits.
 
Game 2: ECSU 7, USM 0
Vilchez held USM to just four hits in an outstanding seven inning performance, walking four and striking out four.  She was bolstered by a 2-for-4 effort at the plate from Woods that included a pair of doubles and two RBI, and a 3-for-3 effort from Tyrell that also included a pair of doubles and an RBI.  Zenk continued her strong showing offensively going 2-for-3 with a run scored in game two.
ECSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third as Matyasovsky connected with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field scoring Tyrell.  Tyrell reached safely with a double to put herself in scoring position with one out.
Vilchez worked her way around a single and a walk in the top of the fourth to keep the Huskies off the scoreboard, and ECSU exploded four six runs in the bottom of the inning to seize control 7-0.  ECSU's bats came alive for six hits in the inning, including two-run doubles from Woods and Stoker, and RBI double from SanGiovanni and a sacrifice fly RBI from Tyrell.  With a 7-0 lead in hand, Vilchez did not allow another hit until the top of the seventh, and did not allow a base runner past second for the final three Husky frames.
USM's Brown took the loss allowing seven earned runs in 3.2 innings. She gave up seven hits and three walks. Merrill returned in relief and did not allow a run in the final 2.1 innings, allowing four hits.
USM's Day was the lone repeat hitter for the Huskies finishing the game 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk.  Senior Erin Martin (Biddeford, Maine) was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks, while Shields was 1-for-2 and was a standout defensively for the Huskies in the outfield.
 
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 8 vs. No. 1 Southern Maine 4
Game 2:  No. 2 Eastern Connecticut  7 vs. No. 1 Southern Maine 0
 
 
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