GORHAM, Maine   –  Sophomores Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) and Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) each turned in strong pitching performances and senior Samantha Hauck (Painted Post, N.Y.) and juniors Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) and Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) had timely hits to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a Little East Conference softball doubleheader sweep of the Castleton University Spartans Saturday afternoon at the USM Softball Stadium.
 
With the sweep, Southern Maine improves to 13-3 in the Little East Conference and secures the number two seed in the upcoming Little East Conference Championship tournament.  The Huskies have won eight straight and are now 22-13 overall.
 
THE BASICS:
Records:
Castleton (17-14, 8-8 Little East)
Southern Maine (22-13, 13-3 LEC)
 
Pitching Game 1 – USM 7, Castleton 2
Winning Pitcher: SM, Lauren Merrill (12-5), 7.0 IP, 2 runs, 8 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher:  CU, Olivia Joy (7-7), 6.0 IP, 7 runs (6 earned), 10 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
 
Pitching Game 2 – USM 2, Castleton 1
Winning Pitcher: SM, Belle Snyder (9-4), 7.0 IP, 1 run (0 earned), 1 hit, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher:  CU, Kyle Wright (7-3), 6.0 IP, 2 runs (1 earned), 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE: USM 7, Castleton 2

• Leidemann-Smith started the scoring for the Huskies with a two-run single in the bottom of the third to break open a 0-0 tie. Snyder led off the inning with a single to left, and moved to third on a CU fielding error.  The Spartans recorded two outs to keep Snyder at third before Leidemann-Smith picked up two RBI to score Snyder and senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Regional)
• Castleton rallied for a run in  the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly RBI from Makenna Thorne.  Alllison Almond reached with a one-out double to right, and moved into scoring postion on an infield single from Machaila Arjavich, setting up Thorne.
• The Spartans tied it up in the top of the fifth.  Jamie Boyle hit a two-out single to center field to start the CU offense and came around to score the Spartans' second run on a double from Kylie Wright.
• With the score all tied up, USM responded in the bottom of the fifth scoring five runs on four hits while taking advantage of a pair of costly errors.
• Merrill drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single for a 3-2 USM lead. Sophomore Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) made it 4-2 on a wild pitch, before Scott laced a two-run single for a 6-2 lead. USM led 7-2 as pinch runner Brook Kulis (Georgetown, Maine/Morse) scored on the second error of the inning for CU.
• Merrill retired Castleton in order in the top of the sixth, and worked around a one-out walk in the seventh to earn her 12^th win of the season.
• Merrill and senior Kaitlyn Nelson (Guildhall, Vermont/White Mountains Regional) each had two hits for USM.  Leidemann-Smith and Scott each had two RBI.  

 
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO: USM 2, Castleton 1

• Castleton snagged a 1-0 lead early, scoring in the top of the first and held the lead through the top of the fifth.
• Spartans' Kate LaPan led off the game with a double and looked to be stranded as USM snagged the next two outs.  With two down, Castleton's Almond drew a two-out walk before Wright's fly ball to right was misplayed allowing LaPan to score unearned.
• After the first both pitchers took over. USM managed a single from Day in the bottom of the first, a walk in the second, a single in the third and was retired in order in the fourth as Castleton's Wright pitched strong from the start.  The Huskies' Snyder, down 1-0 with an unearned run, struck out the side in the top of the second, retired CU in order in the third and fourth. In the top of the fifth, Snyder worked around a lead off walk and was picked up by a double play.
• In the home half of the fifth, Scott led off the inning with a single for the Huskies.  With Scott lifted for Kulis as a pinch-runner, Snyder moved the runner up with a ground out before Hauck came through with a clutch RBI single to tie the game up at 1-1. The Huskies went up 2-1 on the next play as Nelson's deep fly ball to right popped out of the glove of a Castleton outfielder, allowing Miller (who replaced Hauck on the base path) to score from first.
• In the sixth, Snyder worked around a two-out walk and in the seventh she retired the Spartans in order for the win.
• Miller, Hauck, Day, Leidemann-Smith and Scott each had one of the Huskies' five hits in the contest. Miler was 1-for-2 with a run scored.

UP NEXT:
Southern Maine hosts Bates College on Monday (3:00 pm) in a non-conference doubleheader.  The Huskies will then prepare for the upcoming LEC tournament.  The 2022 Little East Conference Softball Championship is May 4-7, and will be hosted by the no. 1 seed Eastern Connecticut State (15-1).  Southern Maine is the two-seed (13-3).