SALEM, Mass. – Sophomores Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) and Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) each threw shut out victories and the University of Southern Maine Huskies swept the Salem State University Vikings 2-0 and 9-0 (5 inning) in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Field.
 
Senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Hills) was outstanding at the plate for the Huskies over the two games going 5-for-8. Sophomore Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) finished the doubleheader 3-for-8 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI, while freshman Meaghan Dufresne (Mattapoisett, Mass./Old Rochester) was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.  Dufresne had a pair of doubles.
 
THE BASICS:
Records:
Salem State (5-17)
Southern Maine (12-11)
 
Pitching Game 1 – USM 2, Salem State 0
Winning Pitcher:  SM, Lauren Merrill (6-4), 7.0 IP, 0 runs, 2 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher:  Salem State, Emily Carter (2-11) 7.0 IP, 2 runs (1 earned), 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
 
Pitching Game 2 – Southern Maine 9, Salem State 0 (5 inn)
Winning Pitcher: SM, Belle Snyder (5-3), 4.0 IP, 0 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher:  Salem State, Gracie Hogan () 1.0 IP, 7 runs (3 earned) 8 hits, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE: USM 2, Salem State 0

• Sophomore Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) fired a complete-game two-hitter to propel the Huskies to a 2-0 win in the opener.  Merrill was solid in her sixth win of the season, getting 11 ground outs and five fly outs while striking out three. Both of Merrill's yielded hits were singles and the Huskies' pitcher did not allow a Salem State hit until the bottom of the fourth.
• Senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Hills) was 2-for-4 at the plate, and drove in the Huskies' insurance run in the top of the seventh for the 2-0 final.  Up 1-0, sophomore Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) reached safely on a throwing error and used her speed to take third base to lead off the inning. Miller knocked a single in her at-bat to make it 2-0.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Merrill retired the Vikings in order on back-to-back groundouts and a game-ending strikeout to complete the shutout.  

 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO: USM 9, Salem State 0 (5 innings)

• Southern Maine jumped on top early against the Vikings in game two, scoring five runs in the top of the first adding another two in the second to lead 7-0.
• Miller and senior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont/White Mountains) led off the first with back-to-back singles. Salem State recorded the next two outs, and the Huskies had runners on first and second before USM rattled off five two-out runs. 
• Freshman Morgan Roast (Gorham, Maine) started the two-out scoring with an RBI single up the middle. Roast was followed by an RBI bunt single from Snyder making it 2-0. Freshman Meghan Dufresne (Mattapoisett, Mass./Old Rochester Regional) doubled up the score line with a two-run double, and junior Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) closed the five runs with an RBI single to left.
• In the second, junior Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) gave USM a 7-0 cushion with a two-run single up the middle.  Leidemann-Smith's two-run single gave her 18 RBI for the season through 23 games.
• After a scoreless third and fourth, USM against posted runs on two outs. Junior Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine) connected on a two-out single and was followed by a single from Miller before Nelson reached on a fielding error to load the bases.  With the bases full, Husky sophomore Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) made it 9-0 with a two-run double to the gap in left field.
• Snyder picked up the win in the circle for the Huskies, pitching 4.0 innings allowing four hits and a walk, while striking out four.  Sophomore Dory Kulis (Georgetown, Maine/Morse) pitched the final inning for the Huskies, allowing an infield single, before closing the game.
• Miller was 3-for-4 in game two, while Day was 2-or-4 with two runs scored and two RBI.  Dufresne was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI.

 
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine remain on the road for Saturday (1:00 pm) and will face UMass Dartmouth in a LEC doubleheader. The Huskies are 4-2 in the Little East Conference.