GORHAM, Maine  –   Freshman Mia Coots (Hartland, Maine/Nokomis) earned the win in both games, relieving in game one and as the game-two starter, and junior Mackenzie Renner (Alton, NH/Prospect Mountain) was 2-for-5 with four RBI, and junior Kendall Migliorini (Salem, NH) had three RBI on 2-for-8 hitting with three runs scored as the University of Southern Maine Huskies swept the Bowdoin College Polar Bears in a pair of closely played non-conference softball games Friday night at the USM Softball Stadium. 
 
The Huskies battled back from a 5-0 deficit in game one to win in extra-innings 11-10 (8 innings), and then held on for a 5-4 win in game two.  Junior Kristina Yebba (Danvers, Mass.) and freshman Gwen Christie (Barnstead, NH/Prospect Mountain) each had strong days at the plate finishing 3-for-7.
 
Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine 11,  Bowdoin 10 (8 inn)
Bowdoin (12-15)                        104 014 00     10-15-5
Southern Maine (12-13)             004 400 21     11-10-2
 
 
GM 2 – Southern Maine 5,  Bowdoin 4
Bowdoin (12-16)                        200 000 2    4-8-1
Southern Maine (13-13)             101 030 x    5-9-2
 
           
Pitching Records:
GM 1 – Southern Maine vs. Bowdoin
WP: SM, Mia Coots (7-6), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
LP:  BC, Maddie Current (5-6), 4.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
 
GM 2 – Southern Maine vs. Bowdoin
WP: SM, Mia Coots (8-6), 7.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
LP:  BC, Kathleen Hester (5-8), 3.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
 
How It Happened: Game One – USM 11, Bowdoin 10 (8 inn)

• Bowdoin scored on an RBI triple in the first off of the bat of Elise Siciliano, and then ballooned its lead to 5-0 in the third to take command early in game one.  In the third, Kyla Gary knocked a two-rbi double to the gap in left for a 3-0 Polar Bear lead before Chloe Garcia launched a two-run home run over the gap in right.
• Down a handful, the Huskies charged back in the bottom of the inning to trail 5-4.  Migliorini had an RBI sacrifice fly to right, followed by an RBI triple to left from Renner.  Sophomore Maddy Paradis (Salem, Mass.) made it a one-run game with a double to left, scoring Renner for the RBI before the inning was over.
• USM continued to pour on the offense in the bottom of the fourth scoring four runs to leap frog the Polar Bears and lead 8-5.  The Huskies tied the game on a fielder's choice play that resulted in a run with an error, and Renner stroked a three-run double to the gap in left.
• Bowdoin's Rosie Panenka (Freeport, Maine) had an RBI single in the top of the fifth to cut the Polar Bear deficit to 8-6, before Bodoin used a four-run top of the sixth to lead 10-8.  Reilly Parga tied the game with a two-run single thrugh the right side, before JK Bradley pushed the go-ahead run with an RBI single up the middle. The Polar Bears went up 10-8 on a muffed force-play at home before the inning ended.
• With the Huskies quiet in the bottom of the sixth, and junior Lexus McIntosh (Lancaster, NH/White Mountains Regional) working her way around an error and an infield single in the seventh to keep the game at 10-8, the Huskies were able to tie the game up in the bottom of the seventh.
• Scoring two runs on two hits, a walk and a Bowdoin fielding error USM extended the game, forcing the international tie-breaker rule.  Renner led off of the seventh with a walk, and Paradis singled up the middle before junior Olivia Levasseur's (Amesbury, Mass.)  grounder was errantly thrown, scoring Renner for a 10-9 USM deficit.  The Huskies looked to tie the game up on a wild pitch, but Paradis was tagged out at home in a close play.  Trailing 10-9 with one out, Christie delivered for the Huskies, hitting a double to right for the game-tying run to drive in Levasseur.
• In the eighth, with a runner starting on second, Coots entered the game in relief of McIntosh. Coots got the first out with a diving stab on a short pop-fly. She then got a fly out to right which advanced the runner to third. However, Coots got the last out with a fly ball to center field to move to the bottom of eight.
• Husky junior Alana Delisle (Amesbury, Mass.) successfully placed a sacrifice but to start the eighth USM moving its runner up to third, before Migliorini walked it off with an RBI fielder's choice ground out as junior Ella Bezanson (Amesbury, Mass.) easily beat the play at the plate for the game-winning run.

 
Game Two -  USM 5,  Bowdoin 4

• The Polar Bears again led early in game two, scoring twice in the top of the first. Anika Ewert led off the inning with a slap single to left, stole second and then scored on a throwing error on a would-be ground out off of the bat of Gary.  Gary's misplayed ball allowed her to reach third.  After one out, Garcia hit a hard line-drive to center field for a sacrifice hit RBI scoring Gary for a pair of unearned Polar Bear runs.
• Starting the bottom of the first with back-to-back outs, the Huskies were able to generate some two-out offense as Migliorini doubled to right, and then scored on an RBI double to the gap in right from Dufresne to trail 2-1.
• The score remained unchanged after the second.  Still up 2-1, Bowdoin threatened for more runs in the top of the third. Ewert, was 3-for-4 in the game, led off with a bunt single, and the Polar Bears loaded the passes on a Husky error, and an infield single from Garcia.  With just one out, Coots bounced back getting a infield fly ball and a line-out to left to end the threat.
• USM tied the game in the bottom of the third.  Yebba and Delisle sandwiched singles around an out, and the Huskies had runners on the corners with two outs after a fielder's choice play.  A misplayed ground ball kept the inning alive and Yebba scored the game-tying run for a 2-2 game before the inning ended.
• In the fourth both pitchers worked around one-out singles to keep the game tied up at two runs each. And in the top of five, Coots got a ground out and two infield fly outs to erase a walk to lead into the bottom of the fifth.
• USM scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 5-2 advantage.  Bezanson led off with a walk before Migliorini brought her home with a one-out double to the gap in right for a 3-2 Husky lead.  A single to Dufresne, and a hard-won walk from Renner put runners each base for the Huskies with one out.  Freshman Hannah Garcia (Dartmouth, Mass.) was called on for a pinch-hit at bat and delivered with an RBI walk.  The Polar Bears got their second out of the game, but USM went ahead 5-2 as Dufresne scored on a wild pitch.
• Coots sat the Polar Bears in order in the top of the sixth, but the Huskies stranded two runners in the home half of the inning as Yebba and Bezanson went back-to-back for singles to lead off.
• Trailing 5-2, Bowdoin rallied for a pair of runs on three hits.  Penelope Fong-Picariello singled up the middle and Ewert had a slap double to left over the out-stretched glove of the Husky fielder.  Bowdoin then loaded the bases with a fielder's choice play before Siciliano notched an RBI double to score Pica.  Garcia made it 5-4 with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field to score Ewert, but Bezanson's throw to third cut down Gary for the second out.  With two gone, Coots got the final out with a fly ball to right for the 5-4 final and the win.

 
Up Next:
 Southern Maine remains at home on Friday, April 18 against non-conference opponent Bowdoin (4:00pm).  The Huskies are on the road this weekend at Colby College for a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday (12:00 pm), and then remain on the road for an LEC doubleheader at Plymouth State on Tuesday (3:00 pm).
 
 
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