KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Senior
Belle Snyder (Epping, N.H.) fired a two-hit shutout to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 3-0 win over the Western New England Golden Bears in the first game of the day at The Spring Games Saturday morning at Hancock Athletic Complex. The Huskies dropped a closely played 2-0 decision to the Loras College DuHawks in their final game in Florida. The Huskies finished the day 1-1, and completed their 10-game Florida trip with an outstanding 7-3 record.
Snyder kept WNEU hitless through 6.2 innings and did not allow a baserunner until the seventh inning in a dominant performance for her fourth win of the season. Senior
Makena Mulcahy (Auburn, Mass.), junior
Abby Miner (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) and sophomore
Kendall Migliorini (Salem, N.H) each had two hits in the win as USM combined for 11 hits off of WNEU. Mulcahy, Miner and sophomore Alana Delisle (Amesbury, Mass.) each had an RBI.
Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine vs. Western New England
Western New England (0-1) 000 000 0 0-2-0
Southern Maine (7-2) 100 101 x 3-11-0
GM 2 – Southern Maine vs. Loras
Southern Maine (7-3) 000 000 0 0-5-0
Loras (11-4) 001 010 x 2-6-1
Pitching Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine vs. WNEU
WP:
Belle Snyder (4-1), 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks
LP: Ava Blanchard (0-1), 6.0 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks
GM 2 – Southern Maine vs. Loras
WP: Shandi Rulli (3-2), 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
LP: Lexus McInstosh (2-2), 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
How It Happened: Game One – Southern Maine 3, Western New England 0
- Snyder fired her second shutout of the season, and kept the Western New England bats silent until the top of the first to pick up her fourth win of the season. Snyder struck out seven and did not allow a walk in the victory.
- With Snyder retiring the side in order, including back-to-back strikeouts, Miner kickstarted the Huskies with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, staking Snyder a 1-0 lead.
- Snyder cruised through four innings, picking up six of her seven Ks in the game, and in the bottom of the fourth Southern Maine manufactured another run to go up 2-0. Sophomore Mackenzie Renner (Alton, N.H./Prospect Mountain) led off the inning with a single to center field and moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt from senior Hannah Shields (Buckfield, Maine), and a single from sophomore Kendal Migliorini (Salem, N.H.). Called to pinch hit, sophomore Alana Delisle (Amesbury, Mass.) delivered with a single up the middle, scoring Renner before WNEU starter Ava Blanchard recorded the next two outs.
- Another 1-2-3 from Snyder in the top of the fifth and sixth, including her seventh K of the game, moved the Huskies to the bottom of the sixth up 2-0. Adding an insurance run, Shields singled down the right field line to lead off, and moved to third on back-to-back singles from Migliorini and Snyder. With the bases full, senior Makena Mulcahy (Auburn, Mass.) drove in Shields with a fielder's choice for the 3-0 Husky advantage. With two on, WNEU's Blanchard got the next to Husky batters on infield pop-ups to end the threat.
- In the seventh, Snyder recorded her 20th consecutive out, getting a pop up and a fly out before surrendering back-to-back hits - a double to Madison Mason, and a single from Kailey Carrano. With runners on first and third, Snyder answered back getting a flyout to end the game and preserve the shutout.
Game Two - Loras 2, Southern Maine 0
- Loras came out on top in a strong pitcher's duel. Payton Meier, who finished the game 2-for-2 at the dish, drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the third, and Zoe Espiridon added another run with an RBI single to center in the bottom of the fifth for the Duhawk victory.
- Loras starter Shandi Rulli went the full seven and scattered five hits and four walks against the Huskies. The Huskies threatened for runs with runners in scoring position in the top of the first, third, fourth and fifth but were unable to push one across the plate. Husky sophomore Lexus McIntosh (Lancaster, N.H./White Mountains Regional) pitched strong in the loss, allowing just five hits and a walk in six innings of work.
Inside the Stats
- Miner now has four home runs this season, which is in a mutli-way tie for fourth in single-season records. The record is eight in a season held by NFCA All-Region alumni Ashley Tinsman (2021). Miner has hit safely in all 10 of the Huskies games, and is hitting .484 (15-for-31) with seven RBI. She has five doubles and four home runs and nine runs scored.
- Snyder's shutout is her second of the season. She has a solid 2.50 ERA in 28 innings and is holding her opponents to a .213 batting average.
Up Next:
Southern Maine concludes its stay in Florida for The Spring Games. 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.
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