GORHAM, Maine  - Sophomores Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) and Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) combined for a strong effort in the circle to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 6-4 win over the UMass Boston Beacons in game one of a Little East Conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at the USM Softball Stadium. UMB came out on top in a pitcher's duel in game two 1-0.
 
THE BASICS:
Records:
Southern Maine (10-11, 4-2 LEC)
UMass Boston (15-7, 5-3)
 
Pitching Game 1 – USM 6, UMB 4
Winning Pitcher:  SM, Lauren Merrill (5-4), 6.1 IP, 4 runs (3 earned), 9 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher:  UMB, Emily Doble (4-3), 5.0 IP, 6 runs (3 earned), 10 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
Save: SM, Belle Snyder (1), 0.2 IP, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
 
Pitching Game 2 – Southern Maine, UMB
Winning Pitcher: UMB, Brianna Melchionda (7-2), 7.0 IP, 0 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher: SM, Belle Snyder (4-3), 7.0 IP, 1 run (0 earned), 4 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE: USM 6, UMB 4

• Merrill picked up her fifth win of the season, pitching 6.1 solid innings allowing nine hits without yielding  a walk, while Snyder picked up her first save of the season coming in to close with the bases loaded and one out.
• Down 2-9 after two and a half innings, Southern Maine rallied with three runs in the bottom of the third and three more in the bottom of the fourth to take control of the game. 
• UMB took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-out RBI single up the middle from freshman Amauri English (North Providence, R.I.), and then led 2-0 in the top of the third on another two-out RBI single – this time from junior Jordan Toomey (Arlington, Mass.). 
• After leaving two runners on in the first, and retiring in order in the second, USM came alive in the third.  Snyder and senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Hills) went back-to-back for singles and then moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt.  Day drove in the Huskies' first run with a well-placed bunt single.  Junior Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) tied the game with a sacrifice to right to score Miller, before Merrill made it 3-2 with an RBI single to left driving in Day.
• USM led 6-2 after the fourth, scoring three more runs, including RBI singles from Day and Leidemann-Smith. 
• Miller cruised in the fifth, retiring the Beacons in order in the firth, and worked her way around a lead off single to keep the Huskies up 6-1 headed into the top of the seventh.  After a pair of singles to freshman Christina Panagiotopoulos (Lowell, Mass.) and senior Sarah Harlinski (Sturbridge, Mass.) with one out, sophomore Brianna Melchionda (Marshfield, Mass.) had a pinch-hit RBI single to center to make it 6-3. Another UMB single loaded the bases with one out, and Snyder came on to relieve Merrill.  Snyder struck out the first batter she faced before UMB scored on a wild pitch for a 6-4 game.  With runners on second and third, Snyder got the final out on a fly ball.
• Leidemann-Smith had two RBI for the Huskies, going 1-for-3.  Miller was 3-for-4 with two runs scored from the Huskies' lead off spot as the only other Husky aside from Day to collect more than one hit.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO: USM, UMB

• UMB scored in the top of the seventh and Melchiond came out on top of a pitcher's duel in game to for the 1-0 Beacon win.  Melchiond went seven full, allowing just two hits and two walks to pick up her seventh win of the season.  Melchion struck out eight in the win.
• Snyder was the Huskies' hard-luck loser, pitching an outstanding seven innings allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine. 
• Rolling through the fifth and the sixth inning, Snyder struck out the side in the fifth, and had two ground outs and a strikeout in the sixth keeping the game at 0-0. In the top of the seventh, UMB junior Haley Tilberry (Moosic, Pa.) led of the inning with a double, and moved to third on a bunt single from junior Sydney Sanden (Riverton, Conn.).  Sanden moved up to second giving the Beacons runners on second and third with no outs before the Huskies' picked up a double play on a heads-up play from senior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont/White Mountains Regional). Nelson snagged a line drive from the third base line saving a hit and a run and then stepped on third to double up the Beacons.  Sanden moved up to third on a passed ball before English picked up an RBI single to score her and get the 1-0 lead.
• The Huskies threatened in the bottom of the seventh as Merill reached on a throwing error and Snyder had a bunt single.  Husky senior Samantha Hauck (Painted Post, N.Y.) looked to drive in at least one run with a long fly ball out to left field but Beacon's Harlinski made a game-saving over-the-shoulder grab to get the first out.  Both Snyder and Merrill moved up a base on a ground out making it two runners in scoring position with two down before Melchion struck out her eight batter of the game for the win.

 
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine travels to Salem State University on Wednesday (3:00 pm) for a pair of non-conference games. The Huskies remain on the road on Saturday (1:00 pm) and will face UMass Dartmouth in a LEC doubleheader.