KISSIMMEE, Fla. – the University of Southern Maine Huskies dropped a pair of one-run games Thursday afternoon at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex. Southern Maine fell to Rutgers-Camden 2-1 in its first game of the day, and then came up just short in a 7-6 loss to the College of New Jersey in the second game.
THE BASICS:
Game 1 - Records:
Southern Maine (2-4)
Rutgers Camden (3-4)
Score: Rutgers Camden 2, Southern Maine 1
Game – 2 Records:
The College of New Jersey (5-2)
Southern Maine (2-5)
Score: The College of New Jersey 7, Southern Maine 6
Pitching – Southern Maine vs. Rutgers Camden
Winning Pitcher: Rutgers-Camden, Lindsay Rodzon (1-1), 7.0 innings pitched, 1 earned run, 8 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher: SM,
Lauren Merrill (1-1), 6.0 innings pitched, 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Pitching – Southern Maine vs. The College of New Jersey
Winning Pitcher: CNJ, Julia Roessler (1-1), 0.2 innings pitched, 1 earned run, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
Losing Pitcher: SM, Morgon Moulton (1-2), 0.2 innings pitched, 3 earned runs, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts
Save: CNJ, Gillian Roberts 1 inning pitched, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Rutgers Camden
- Rutgers-Camden scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to overcome a one-run deficit and then held on for the 2-1 win.
- The Huskies went up 1-0 in the top of the first as junior Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) laced a two-out RBI triple to center field.
- Husky starter Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) kept the Rutgers-Camden batters off balance allowing just one hit and a walk over the first five innings.
- In the top of the sixth, the Huskies had three singles and a walk, but did score a run as Rutgers Camden made a strong play on a single from Morgan Roast (Gorham, Maine) to cut down USM's lead runner to keep the game at 1-0 and end the innings.
- In the home half of the sixth, Rutgers-Camden to advantage of back-to-back two-out RBI singles from Rachel White (Woodbury, N.J.) and Zoe Rodriguez (Lumberton, N.J.). to jump ahead of USM 2-1.
- In the top of the seventh, Rutgers-Camden Lindsay Rodzon (Delran, N.J.) retired the first to Husky batters she face, and then worked her way around an outfield error to close the inning with a strikeout for the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. The College of New Jersey
- The College of New Jersey scored three runs in the top of the first and held off a rallying Southern Maine squad to take a 7-6 win over the Huskies.
- Having lost leads of 3-0, and then 5-3, and heading into the top of the seventh tied 5-5, Lauren Conroy and Kayla Hillenbrand each hit RBI singles to give the Lions a 7-5 lead.
- Southern Maine rallied in the home half of the inning. After a lead off walk from Roast, Merrill doubled to left field to set up a second and third situation. One batter later junior Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) stroked an RBI single to center field to make it 7-6 with no outs.
- A ground out moved Leidemann-Smith up to second and Merrill to third, before TCNJ relief pitcher Gillian Roberts earned a crucial second out via strikeout before retiring the Huskies side and stopping the rally with an infield ground out .
- Scott finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate for USM with three RBI, including a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth that tied the score up at 5-5.
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine faces Carroll University (9:00 am) and Edgewood College (2:00 pm) at Hancock Park in Clermont, Fla.
-cac-
