KEENE, N.H.  –  Sophomore pitchers Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) and Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) each turned in standout performances to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a sweep of the Keene State College Owls in a Little East Conference softball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the Owls Athletic Complex.
 
Leading USM to an 8-0 win in the opener, Merrill earned her third shutout victory of the season and eighth overall holding KSC to three hits, striking out five and not yielding a walk. In 14 innings pitched this week, Merrill has allowed just six hits, one earned run and struck out nine while holding her opponents to an anemic .125 batting average.
 
Snyder fanned a career and season best 13 Owls hitters to earn her seventh win of the season as the Huskies defeated KSC 6-1 to earn the sweep.  Snyder also limited KSC to just three hits. Snyder is 4-1 in conference play this season.
 
THE BASICS:
Records:
Southern Maine (16-13, 7-3 LEC)
Keene State (12-22, 2-12 LEC)
 
Pitching Game 1 – USM 8, KSC 0
Winning Pitcher: SM, Lauren Merrill (8-5), 7.0 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher:  KSC, Alexis Blanchette (0-5), 3.0 IP, 1 run (0 earned), 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
 
Pitching Game 2 – USM KSC
Winning Pitcher:. SM, Belle Snyder (7-4), 7.0 IP, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walks, 13 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher: KSC, Mia Ferry (0-1), 4.0 IP, 2 runs (0 earned), 4 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE: USM 8 KSC 0

•  Up 1-0 after the third inning, Southern Maine scored three more in the top of the sixth and four in the seventh to earn an 8-0 win over the Owls.  Southern Maine rapped out 12 hits in the win.
• Sophomore Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) worked an outstanding seven innings to earn her second win of the week, limiting KSC to just three hits. Merrill did not give up a walk and struck out eight.
• USM took advantage of two walks, a wild pitch and a KSC fielding error to score its first run of the day in the top of the third. Up 1-0, Merrill sat the Owl batters in order in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, including three via strikeout.
• Merrill continued to control the game from the circle in the bottom of the fifth retiring the first two KSC hitters with ground outs before working around a fielding error and a passed ball to get another strikeout to end the innings.
• The Huskies gave Merrill some breathing room in the sixth as senior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont/White Mountains Regional) had an RBI ground out making it 2-0 before junior Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) drove in two more runs lacing a single down the left field line for a 4-0 Husky advantage.
• After Merrill put KSC down in order in the home half of the sixth, USM quickly made it a 5-0 game as junior Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine) hit a solo home run to lead off the seventh.  Shields' home run is her second of the season. The Huskies added three more on an RBI walk from Leidemann-Smith and a two-run single from Merrill to left field, making it 8-0.
• KSC threatened in the seventh. The Owls collected two of their three hits in the game in the final inning. Sara Cote led off with a single through the left side, but was erased caught stealing.  Megan Blanchette had a two-out double to the gap in left field to put herself in scoring position, but Merrill ended the game with a ground out for the 8-0 final.
• Senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Regional) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored as the Huskies' lead off hitter. Leidemann-Smith and Shields were the Huskies other repeat hitters adding three RBI and one RBI respectively.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO: USM 6, KSC 1

• Sophomore Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) struck out a career-high 13, and Nelson had two RBI to lead the Huskies in a 6-1 game-two win.
• After a scoreless first inning, USM scored twice in the top of the second. Junior Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) had a one-out double to center to start the Huskies, and advance to third on a single from sophomore Dory Kulis (Georgetown, Maine/Morse).  Scott scored on a KSC fielding error for a 1-0 Husky lead before Miller had an RBI single to center feild to score Kulis. KSC came back with one run in the bottom half of the second on a solo home run from Mia Ferry, making it 2-1. Snyder bounced back getting back-to-back strikeouts.
• Snyder preserved a one-run lead (2-1) for four consecutive innings until the Huskies inflated the score with four runs in the top of the seventh. Snyder struck out the side in the third, retired the Owls in order in the fourth and picked up another three strikeouts around a walk in the fifth.  In the sixth, Snyder put the Owls down in order, including back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
• Scott again led the Huskies in the seventh with a lead-off double, and USM took advantage of a pair of KSC errors to score four runs. Freshman Brook Kulis (Georgetown, Maine), who pinch-ran for Scott, scored the Huskies' first run after a sacrifice bunt was misplayed. An out and two batters later, USM led 4-1 as Miller's sacrifice bunt was mishandled, before Nelson made it 6-1 with a sacrifice fly to left field scoring both Miller and Snyder.
• Scott finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored.  Miller, Nelson, and Snyder each had hits for the Huskies.

 
UP NEXT:
The Huskies remain on the road for Sunday (1:00 pm) for a Little East Conference doubleheader with WestConn. USM is scheduled to host Plymouth State on Tuesday (3:00 pm) for a LEC doubleheader.