KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Sophomore
Lexus McIntosh (Lancaster, N.H./White Mountains Regional) threw a seven-inning shutout in game one, and senior
Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) scattered three hits over seven innings in game two to help the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a pair of wins against the Suffolk University Rams (6-0) and the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg (6-2) in Kissimmee, Fla.
McIntosh kept the Rams hitters off balance limiting Suffolk to four hits, all singles, in game one while her team combined eight hits for six runs. Sophomore
Mackenzie Renner led the way for the Huskies against Suffolk with a two-run triple in the top of the fifth.
Snyder did not allow a hit until the bottom of the sixth inning to earn her third win of the season. Striking out six, Snyder allowed just three singles and one earned run. The Huskies offense was alive in game two pounding out 12 hits, including five for extra bases. Senior
Madi Day (Otisfield, Maine/Oxford Hills) was 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI. Senior
Makena Mulcahy (Auburn, Mass.), junior
Abby Miner (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy), and sophomores
Olivia Levasseur (Amesbury, Mass.) and Mackenze Renner (Alton, N.H./Prospect Mountain) each had two hits. Mulcahy, Miner, Day, Renner and Snyder all had doubles.
Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine vs. Suffolk
Southern Maine (5-2) 000 231 0 6-8-0
Suffolk (4-5) 000 000 0 0-4-3
GM 2 – Southern Maine vs. Pitt-Greensburgh
SUNY Geneseo (2-6) 001 040 0 5-8-2
Southern Maine (4-2) 012 030 x 6-8-0
Pitching Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine vs. Suffolk
WP:
Lexus McIntosh (2-1), 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 Ks
LP: Lily Newhall (3-2), 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
GM 2 – Southern Maine vs. Pitt-Greensburg
WP:
Belle Snyder (3-1), 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 Ks
LP: Melanie Mienke (1-2), 7.0 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks
How It Happened: Game One – Southern Maine 6, Suffolk 0
- Both the Huskies and Rams were scoreless through the first three innings. McIntosh showed her mettle in the bottom of the second working around a lead off single and a two walks to come out unscathed, ending the inning with a strikeout. McIntosh was benefitted by strong defense behind her as Day cut down the Ram's lead runner twice on fielder's choice ground outs.
- USM struck for its first runs of the game in the top of the fourth. Senior Rona Scott (Beverly, Mass.) led off the inning with a single to left. The Huskies then took advantage of a costly two-out throwing error to go up 1-0. After sophomore Kendall Migliorini (Salem, N.H.) drew a two-out pinch-hit walk to set up runners on first and third, Mulcahy connected on a single through the right side giving USM a 2-0 lead before the inning ended.
- After another scoreless inning for McIntosh, the Huskies padded on three more runs in the top of the fifth. Scott led the charge with an RBI single up the middle, and Renner laced a two-run triple to the gap in right for a 5-0 advantage.
- McIntosh retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth, and Miner put the final run of the game on the board drilling her third home run of the season to left field for a 6-0 Husky advantage.
- McIntosh got the first two outs on the ground in order to start the sixth and worked back from a single with a fly out, and then worked around another single in the seventh with a fly out, strikeout and ground out for the win.
Game Two - Southern Maine 6, Pitt-Greensburg 2
- After a dominant start from Snyder in the top of one, the Huskies' bats were lively for a quick 2-0 lead. Mulcahy led off the game with a double to left. With one away, Levasseur reached on an outfield error, setting up runners on first and third. Pitt-Greensburg starter Melanie Mienke was able to get the second out, but Day came through with a two-out, two-run double to left.
- Snyder continued to roll through the innings, retiring the side in order in the top of the fourth to keep the game in the Huskies' favor 2-0. In the bottom of the fourth, the Huskies added another run for a 3-0 lead. A lead off walk to Day turned into a bases loaded situation with one out after back-to-back singles from Renner and sophomore Alana Delisle (Amesbury, Mass.). Called to pinch hit again, Migliorini stepped in and knocked an RBI sacrifice fly to right before Pitt-Greensburg was able to get out of the inning.
- After a scoreless fifth, Snyder yielded her first hit of the game, a one-out single, in the top of the sixth, but bounced right back with a strikeout (her sixth of the game) and a ground out to end the threat. Up 3-0 headed to the bottom of the sixth, USM struck for three more runs doubling its lead. Renner led off the inning with a double, and Snyder helped her own cause with a double of her own making it 4-0. Mulcahy then drove in Snyder with a single, and Miner collected the Huskies' fifth double of the game for a 6-0 USM lead.
- Pitt-Greensburg took two back from the Huskies in the top of the seventh with a pair of hits, including a single from Makenzie Lang, a walk, and a two-out, two-run single from Kylie Karns, but Snyder halted the rally with a fly out for the 6-2 final.
Inside the Stats
- Levasseur has hit safely in the last six games. She finished today's games 3-for-7. She is hitting .560 through eight games (14-for-25) with six runs scored, eight RBI, and two doubles.
- Miner now has three home runs this season. Hitting .520 (13-fro-25) throught eight games, Miner has five doubles to go along with her three HR for a 1.080 slugging percentage. She has six RBI.
- McIntosh's shutout is the first of her career. She is 201 in four appearances this season. Her four strikeouts against Suffolk are a season-best. She is averaging just over three Ks per game.
Up Next:
Southern Maine remains in Florida for The Spring Games. The Huskies return to action on Saturday, March 16 for two games. Southern Maine faces Western New England (9:00 am) and Loras (11:15 am) to close out its Florida schedule. The Huskies return to Maine and will face Saint Joseph's College on Monday, April 1 (3:00 pm) for a non-conference doubleheader at SJC.
-cac-
