CASTLETON, Vermont – Sophomore Meaghan Dufresne (Mattapoisett, Mass./Old Rochester) was 4-for-6 with two doubles, and four RBI and junior Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) earned a win in game two and picked up a save in game one combining for 12 strikeouts to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a sweep of the Castleton University Spartans 7-5, 10-6, Sunday afternoon at Spartan Field.
 
With the sweep, Southern Maine has won its last eight games consecutively, including the last four on the road in conference action.  
 
THE SERIES:
Today's doubleheader marked the 10^th and 11^th meeting between the University of Southern Maine and Castleton University. With the sweep, Southern Maine leads the overall series 9-2, and has won five of the last six.   
 
THE BASICS:
Game 1 - Records:
Southern Maine (18-15, 9-4 LEC) 
Castleton (16-13, 7-6 LEC)
Score: Southern Maine 7, Castleton 5
 
Game – 2 Records: 
Southern Maine (19-15, 10-4 LEC) 
Castleton (16-14, 7-7 LEC)
Score: Southern Maine 10, Castleton 6
 
Pitching – Southern Maine vs. CU – Game 1
Winning Pitcher: SM, Lauren Merrill (10-6), 5.0 IP, 8 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher: CU, Olivia Joy (6-5), 1.0 IP, 8 hits, 5 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeouts
Save: SM, Belle Snyder (2), 2.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
 
Pitching – Southern Maine vs. CU – Game 2
Winning Pitcher: SM, Belle Snyder (7-7), 6.0 IP, 7 hits, 6 runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher: CU, Lauren Ross (2-1), 2.2 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
Save: None
 
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. CU Game 1:

• The Huskies jumped out early and led 5-0 after two innings en route to the 7-5 win over the Spartans in game one.
• USM rapped out six hits in the first inning to go up 4-0.  Senior Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) picked up the first RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right, driving in senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Hills). Miller led off the inning with a single – the first of three consecutive hits by the Huskies – and was followed by a single from Snyder and junior Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills). Senior Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine) made it 2-0 with a single to center for USM's fourth hit of the game, before Dufresne drove in two with a single up the middle.  In the second, Miller led off with a triple and came around to score on an error for USM's 5-0 lead.  
• Merrill, the game one starter, kept Castleton off the board through the first two innings before giving up three runs in the third. After getting the first out, Merrill yielded a single to K. Fac and Castleton got on the board following a triple down the first-base line from Mosher.  An RBI single up the middle from Rideout made it 5-2, before Fish drove in another run with single to right for Castleton's fifth hit of the inning.
• With its lead narrowed to 5-3, the Huskies added two more runs in the top of the fourth. Snyder reached after being hit by a pitch, and Merrill took first and both runners moved up a base on an error before Scott laced a two-run single to center field for a 7-3 Husky lead.
• The scored stayed 7-3 until the bottom of the fifth when Castleton scored twice to again make it a two-run game. The Spartans had runners on second and third with one out before A. Almond used heads up running to score on a strikeout and A. Brouillet knocked a two-out RBI double down the left field line for a 7-5 game.
• After a quiet top of the sixth from the Huskies, Snyder entered the game in relief of Merrill and picked up two of her five strikeouts, and then struck out the side to preserve the win, and get the save.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. CU Game 2:

• With the game tied at 6-6 headed to the final inning, Southern Maine scored four runs in the top of the seventh to earn the 10-6 win for the sweep.
• The Huskies lead 5-0 after the top of the third, but Castleton came back with four runs in the home half of the third to put themselves back in the game. 
• USM led 6-4 in the sixth following an RBI double to center field from Dufrense, but the Spartans rallied with two runs in the bottom of the innings.  With two outs and runners on first and second, Mosher doubled to left field and picked up a pair of RBI for a tie game.
• With the game knotted up at 6-6, Shields started the rally with a one-out single, and advanced to third on an error. After a stolen base, USM had runners on third and second setting up freshman Ella Bezanson (Amesbury, Mass.), who knocked an RBI double to right to give her team a 7-6 lead.  Dufresne made it 8-6 with an RBI sacrifice fly to left, before junior Allie Mailhiot (Goffstown, N.H.) made it a four-run advantage for the Huskies with a two-run home run over the left field fence.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• In eight inning over two appearances, Snyder record 12 strikeouts. It is the second straight doubleheader, she has earned a save and a win.
• The Huskies totaled 26 hits against the Castleton pitchers, including four doubles, a triple and a home run.  In addition to Dufresne's four hits and two doubles, Shields collected four hits. She was 4-for-7 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Miller was 4-for-10 with two runs scored. Snyder, Merrill and Bezanson each had three hits

 
 
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine returns home on Thursday (4:30/6:30 pm) for a non-conference doubleheader hosting Endicott College. 
-cac-