MANSFIELD, Conn. – Junior Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) fired four innings of scoreless and hitless relief, striking out seven, and the third-seed University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the sixth-seed UMass Boston Beacons 2-0 in the second game of the 2023 Little East Conference Softball Championship Tournament hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University at Washburne Field.
 
The Huskies' scored twice in the bottom of the third and strong pitching from both Snyder and starter Lauren Merrill (Bethel, Maine/Oxford Hills) to advance in the tournament.
 
THE SERIES:
Today's doubleheader marks 57^th meeting between the University of Southern Maine and UMass Boston.  The Huskies and the Beacons split their 2023 series, with UMass Boston taking game one 10-2, and the Huskies taking game two, 1-0.  The Huskies have gone 7-3 against UMB in their last ten meetings, and lead the overall series 42-15.
 
THE BASICS:
Records:
No. 6 UMass Boston (20-20)
No. 3 Southern Maine (20-19)
Score: Southern Maine 2, UMass Boston 0
 
Pitching – Southern Maine vs. UMass Boston – LEC Tournament Game No 2
Winning Pitcher: SM, Belle Snyder (8-9), 4.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Losing Pitcher: UMB, Bri Melchionda (12-4), 6.0 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Save: None
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. UMass Boston

• Merrill retired the first six batters she faced in order getting five ground outs and a fly out.  In the top of the third Merrill worked around a pair of walks and a single to keep the game at 0-0.  Merrill was aided by solid defensive plays from her infield as freshman 2B Olivia Levasseur (Amesbury, Mass.) cut down a lead runner at home with a force out for the second out of the inning, before Merrill forced another ground out.
• In the bottom of the third, freshman Mackenzie Renner (Alton, N.H./Prospect Mountain) led off the inning with a single and then stole second to put herself in scoring position.  With one out against the Huskies, junior Dory Kulis (Georgetown, Maine/Morse) stepped in as a pinch hitter and laced a single to center field for an RBI and a 1-0 USM lead.  Senior Lauren Miller (St. George, Maine/Camden Regional) replaced Kulis on the bases and stole second with two outs against the Huskies before senior Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine) made it 2-0 with single to center for her team leading 24^th RBI of the season.
• UMass Boston started the top of the fourth with back-to-back singles from Lauren Miner and Lauryn Bethea before Merrill was lifted in favor of Snyder.  Entering the game with runners and first and second, Snyder shut down the threat with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out.
• The Beacons had a runner on first with a lead-off walk to Adrianna Fusco in the top of the fifth, but Snyder came back strong with back-to-back strikeouts before Husky freshman catcher Mackenzie Renner (Alton, N.H./Prospect Mountain) cut down Fusco attempting to steal second. 
• Snyder got another pair of strikeouts in the sixth, and then closed out the seventh with back-to-back ground outs before ending the game on a strikeout for the win.

 
 
UP NEXT:
Southern Maine will face second seed UMass Dartmouth on Thursday (3:00 pm). The Huskies split with the Corsairs in the regular season dropping game one 6-5, and picking up a 4-0 win in game two on April 15. 
 
 
2023 Little East Conference Tournament Seeds:

1. Eastern Connecticut                                                             26-8, 16-0 LEC
2. UMass Dartmouth                                                                25-10, 12-4 LEC
3. University of Southern Maine                                                19-19, 10-6 LEC
4. Castleton                                                                             18-14, 9-4 LEC
5. Rhode Island College                                                           17-17, 8-8 LEC
6. UMass Boston                                                                     20-19, 6-10 LEC

 
2023 LEC Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, May 10
Game 1: No. 4 Castleton versus No. 5 Rhode Island College – Castleton 2-0
Game 2: No. 3 Southern Maine versus No. 6 UMass Boston – Southern Maine 2-0
Game 3: No. 5 Rhode Island College versus No. 6 UMass Boston  - RIC, 3-0
 
Thursday, May 11
Game 4: No. 1 Eastern Connecticut versus No. 4 Castleton
Game 5: No. 2 UMass Dartmouth versus No. 3 Southern Maine
Game 6: Game 5 Loser versus Game 3 No. 5 Rhode Island College
 
Friday, May 12
Game 7: Game 4 Winner versus Game 5 Winner
Game 8: Game 4 Loser versus Game 6 Winner
Game 9: Game 7 Loser versus Game 8 Winner
 
Saturday, May 13
Game 10:  Game 7 Winner versus Game 9 Winner
Game 11: If necessary


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