KISSIMMEE, Fla. –  Senior Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) through a seven-inning gem to led the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a season-opening 5-0 win over the St. Scholastica Saints in the first game of the Huskies' 2024 season at The Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla. The Huskies dropped their second game of the day to the Simpson College Storm 5-1.
 
Snyder was lights out in the circle for the Huskies, allowing just one hit – a two-out single in the fifth- against the Saints, while strikeout out 12 batters.  Snyder was aided in game one with a strong performance at the plate from sophomore Olivia Levasseur (Amesbury, Mass.) who went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
 
Junior Abby Miner (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) was also impressive in her Husky debut.  Against St. Scholastica, Miner was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and against Simpson, Miner drove in the Huskies' lone run with her first homerun of the season, finishing the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
 
 
Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine 5, St. Scholastica  0
St. Scholastica (0-3)  000 000 0   0-1-0
Southern Maine (1-0) 001 004 x   5-8-1
 
GM 2 – Southern Maine vs. Simpson
Southern Maine
 
Pitching Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine vs. St. Scholastica 
WP: Belle Snyder (1-0), 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 12 Ks
LP: Haley Rosenthal (0-2), 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks
 
GM 2 – Southern Maine vs. Gettysburg
WP: Madeline Petersen (1-0), 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks
LP: Lexus McIntosh (0-1), 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 B, 3 Ks
 
 
How It Happened: Game One – Southern Maine vs. St. Scholastica 

• With both pitchers dominating the first two innings as each team's first six batters were retired in order (including five via strikeout from Snyder), the Saints had the first baserunner of the game, following a two-out fielding error. Snyder started the inning picking up her sixth and seventh strikeout of the game before working around the error and a walk to get her eight K in three innings and keep the score level at 0-0.
• The Huskies struck in the bottom of the third when Levasseur led off with a single to right and moved up to second on a sac bunt, and to third on an infield single from Snyder.  With runners in scoring position, Miner collected her first hit, an RBI single to center for a 1-0 USM lead. 
• Snyder continued to cruise for a scoreless fourth and fifth inning.  In the fifth, Snyder retired the first two batters on a ground out and a strikeout before yielding the Saints' lone hit of the game – a single to left.  Snyder bounced back however, snagging a line drive to end the threat.
• The score remained unchanged through the top of the sixth before the Huskies hung four runs on the Saints in the bottom of the sixth. Miner led off the inning with a single, and senior Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) doubled in the first run with a two-base hit to left field for a 2-0 led. Levasseur doubled USM's lead with a two-run single to center, before scoring on a passed ball for a 5-0 score.
• Up 5-0 in the top of the seventh, Snyder closed the door on the game with two fly outs and a strikeout for the 5-0 final.

 
Game Two -  Southern Maine vs. Gettysburg

• Southern Maine took an early 1-0 led in the top of the first off of Miner's one-out solo home run, but the Storm battled back with a run in the bottom of the third to equalize and then rattled off four unanswered runs over their final three at-bats to defeat USM 5-1.
• Alexis Ehlers' two-out home run to left field in the bottom of the third started the rally, while Kate Kriegel's RBI single in the fourth put Simpson ahead for good. Ehlers finished the game 2-for-4, while Kriegel was 2-for-3.

 
 
Up Next:
Southern Maine remains in Clermont, Florida for the RussMatt Invitational.  Southern Maine faces Wilmington and Utica on Monday, March 11 at 9:00 am and 1:40 pm respectively.
 
 
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