KISSIMMEE, Fla. –  The University of Southern Maine Huskies dropped a pair of contest Monday to open their The Spring Games Schedule in Kissimmee, Fla.  Southern Maine fell 8-3 to Meredith in its season opener, and then dropped a 4-1 game to Wheaton College (Mass.) in game two. 
 
THE BASICS: 
Game 1 - Records: 
Meredith (1-0)
Southern Maine (0-1) 
Score: Meredith 8, Southern Maine 3
Game – 2 Records:  
Southern Maine (0-2)
Bethel (5-2)
Score: Bethel 2, Southern Maine 1
 
Pitching – Southern Maine vs. Meredith 
Winning Pitcher:  M, H. Weigle (1-0), 7.0 IP, 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher: SM, 
Lauren Merrill (0-1), 1.0 IP, 4 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout
 
Pitching – Southern Maine vs. Wheaton
Winning Pitcher: W, A Burt (3-0), 5.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 9 strikeouts, 0 walks
Losing Pitcher: SM, 
Belle Snyder (0-1), 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
 
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Meredith: 
	- Meredith struck early scoring four runs in the top of the first to secure the 8-3 win.  Fallon Wimberly and Laura Tobin each had RBI singles to highlight inning for the Avenging Angels.
- Tobin had another RBI single in the second, and Savannah Talley had an RBI sacrifice fly to make it 6-0 for Meredith.  The Huskies cut their deficit in half in the home half of the second, however, as senior Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine) cranked out a three-run home run.  Shields drove in senior Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) and junior Madison Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) for her first three RBI of the season.  Scott reached safely with a lead off double, while Day had a single.
- Ahead 6-3 headed to the top of the third, Meredith tacked on two more runs as Alyssa Drake had a two-run single.  The score remained unchanged after the third for the 8-3 final.
- Meredith pitcher Hannah Weigle went the full seven allowing three earned runs on three hits for the win.  USM junior Dory Kulis (Georgetown, Maine/Morse) pitched five innings of relief for the Huskies allowing two earned runs on seven hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Wheaton:
	- Southern Maine struck first taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second as Merrill drew a lead off walk and came around to score on a single from Kulis, and a passed ball, but Wheaton scored four unanswered to take the 4-1 win.
- Wheaton starting pitcher Ashlyn Burt was lifted after two innings allowing the single run on two hits and a walk.  Burt was relieved by Sofia Knopf who threw five innings of scoreless and hitless relief for her third win of the season. Knopf struck out nine batters in the effort.
- USM held the 1-0 lead through four and a half innings before Riley Dolan tied the game up at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field. The Lyons took the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the sixth on another sacrifice fly – this time from Grace DiBacco.
- The Lyons sealed the win with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth as Lindsey Oliveira stroked a two-run single to center.
- Day and Kulis had the only two hits for the Huskies.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
	- Shields' home run is the third of her career, while her three RBIs give her 30 in her career.
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine returns to action tomorrow for a game against Bethel (11:30 am) and Farmingdale State (4:30 pm).
 
-cac-