Husson Earn NAC Softball Title; Sargent Hurl No Hitter

Bangor, ME - The Husson University Eagles claimed their second consecutive North Atlantic Conference (NAC) softball championship with a no-hitter by Nicole Sargent, defeating Maine Maritime 5-0.  With the win, Eagles improve to 28-13 (14-0 NAC) while the Mariners fall to 22-7 (11-3 NAC).  As the NAC champion, the Eagles will advance to the NCAA tournament.

The Mariners and Eagles remained scoreless until the third inning when Husson’s Courtney Hill (Fy., Calais, ME) hit a lead-off double.  On the next pitch, Hill stole third and was able to score on a wild throw to third.  Thanks to strong defense by the Mariners, the Eagles were held to just one run in the third inning.

In the fifth inning with a runner on second, Cassie Berry (Sr., Newcastle, ME) hit a towering homerun to left center, helping the Eagles expand their lead to 4-0.  The game’s final run came in the sixth when pinch hitter Kara Poirier (Fy., Berlin, NH) and Diann Ramsey (Jr., Otisfield, ME) hit a pair of doubles.  Ramsey would drive in Poirier to give Husson a 5-0 lead.

In the top of the seventh inning, two Mariners reached on errors.  With Mariners in scoring position, the Eagles’ Berry made a sliding catch at second on a ground ball hit by Kayla Higgins (So., Sullivan, ME) and threw Higgins out at first to secure the Husson victory and preserve the no-hitter.

Sargent pitched a complete seven inning game allowing no hits, and one walk, while striking out five Maine Maritime’s McKenzie Burke (Fy., Wells, ME) received the loss, pitching six innings, giving up 8 hits and striking out 2. 

All Tournament Team

Tournament MVP:  Cassie Berry, Husson (Sr., 2b, Newcastle, ME)
Courtney Hill, Husson (Fy., OF., Calais, ME)
Nicole Sargent, Husson (Jr., P/1b., Sullivan, ME)
Mallery Blakney, Thomas (Jr., OF., Fairfield, ME)
Alexandra Kriegel, Thomas (Jr., INF., Winslow, ME)
Emily Coye, Farmington (Sr., OF., Naples, ME)
Kaitlyn Bartlett, Farmington (Fy., P., Chesterville, ME)
Casey McCloskey, Maine Maritime (Fy., P., Howland, ME)
Nicole Poland, Maine Maritime (Sr., OF., Damariscotta, ME)
McKenzie Burke, Maine Maritime (Fy., P., Wells, ME)

Game 5:Maine Maritime 2, Farmington 1

Maine Maritime Academy defeated the University of Maine at Farmington 2-1 to advance to the championship round of the North Atlantic Conference softball tournament.  The Mariners claimed the lead in the sixth inning and would not look back.  With the win, Maine Maritime improves to 12-3 and faces Husson University.

Maine Farmington’s Kaitlyn Bartlett (Fy., Chesterville, ME) crushed a solo homerun to left field to score the Beavers’ only run of the game.  Both teams remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Leah Jackson (Fy., Holden, ME) hit an RBI single to center.  The Mariners tallied an additional run off a fielder’s hit by Kayla Higgins (So., Sullivan, ME).

Maine Maritime’s McKenzie Burke (Fy., Wells, ME) received the win, pitching three innings and allowing five hits.  Whitney Page (Sr., Sorrento, ME) shouldered the loss with a seven inning performance while giving up 8 hits and striking out one.

Game 4: Husson 7, Maine Maritime 3

Husson University claimed a 7-3 win over Maine Maritime Academy to advance to the Championship round of the North Atlantic Conference tournament. With the win, the Eagles improve to 27-13 while the Mariners fall to 22-5. Maine Maritime will face U. Maine at Farmington on Saturday, May 1 at 12:00. The winner of that contest will play against Husson at 2:00.

Husson tallied three runs in the third inning, beginning with an RBI single by Dottie Cameron (Jr., South Plainfield, NJ). Megan Richard (Jr., Wilton, ME) also collected an RBI on the inning. The Eagles tacked on an additional run in the fourth inning when Sarah Risser (So., Brewer, ME) singled to right field.

Maine Maritime answered in the bottom of the fourth with a run scored of an RBI single to left field by McKenzie Burke (Fy., Wells, ME).

In the top of the fifth inning, Lona (Fy., Sullivan, ME) Sargent started the Eagle scoring with an RBI single to right field followed by a two RBI single by Dianne Ramsey (Jr., Otisfield, ME). The fifth inning would end with a 7-1 Husson lead.

Maine Maritime plated runs in the sixth and seventh innings. A solo homerun to right field for Kayla Higgins pushed the score to 7-2 with the Mariners trailing. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Casey McCloskey (Fy., Howland, ME) hit an RBI single to center field that plated Brittany Hunt (Jr., Hickory, NC). Despite attempts to rally in the bottom of the seventh, the Husson lead would prove insurmountable and the game would end with a 7-3 Eagle win.

Husson’s Kody Lyon (Fy., Dalton, NH) collected the win, pitching six innings, allowing 6 hits and striking out 8. McCloskey shouldered the loss for Maine Maritime with five innings of work, eight hits, and four strikeouts.

Game 3: Farmington 11, Thomas 2 (5 inn)

Bangor, ME- The University of Maine Farmington Beavers were able to oust the Thomas College Terriers in game 3 of the NAC Softball Championship by a score 11-2. The Beavers opened up the second inning with a solo homerun by Kaitlyn Bartlett (Fy., Chesterville, ME), giving the Beavers an early 1-0 lead.

The Beavers then followed up in the next inning with three runs on five hits, including a 2 RBI single by Shannon Mitchell (So., Portsmouth, NH) to make the lead 5-0 in favor of U. Maine Farmington.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Beavers struck again with a seven run inning including two, 2 RBI doubles from Bartlett and Mitchell, taking an 11-0 lead. Thomas tried to respond in the top half of the fifth inning by scoring two runs with a single by Alexandra Kriegel (Jr., Winslow, ME) and a double by Mallorie Blakney (Jr., Fairfield, ME).

Thomas’s Blakney went 3-3 in the game while Farmington’s Mitchell went 2-3 with 4 RBI’s.
The Beavers will play the loser of the Husson Eagles v. Maine Maritime Mariners game tomorrow at 12:00pm.

Game 2: Maine Maritime 9, Farmington 1 (5 inn)

Bangor, ME- The Maine Maritime Mariners were able to secure a victory against the University of Maine Farmington Beavers in game 2 of the NAC’s Softball Championship. The Mariners started strong in the second inning by taking a 2-0 lead with an RBI double by Kayla Higgins (So., Sullivan, ME) and scoring on the next play. The Mariners then scored 6 more runs in the third including a 3-run homerun by McKenzie Burke (Fy., Wells, ME) off the right field foul pole.

Beaver Shannon Mitchell (So., Portsmouth, NH) was able to answer with a solo homerun in the fourth inning down the right field line, however the Beavers could not tally up anymore runs; ending the game with a final score of 9-1.

Mitchell led the Beavers going 1-2 with a solo homerun while Mariner Higgins went 3-3 on the day with 2 RBI’s.

The Beavers will play the Thomas Terriers at 2:00pm while the Mariners will play the Husson Eagles at 4:00pm at O’Keefe field.

Game 1: Husson 8, Thomas 1

Bangor, ME- The Husson University Eagles were able to take the first game of the NAC Women’s Softball Championship round against the Thomas College Terriers by a score of 8-1.  Husson got on the board first with a barrage of runs in the bottom half of the second inning with an RBI single by catcher Sarah Risser (So., Brewer, ME).  Following her with another RBI single was Dorothy Cameron (Jr., South Plainfield, NJ), and a double to left field by Lona Sargent (Fy., Sullivan ME). 

Thomas made a dent in the score with an RBI single by Kelsey Crowe (Fy., Gorham, ME), making the score 6-1 in favor of Husson.  However; the Terriers were unable to come back.  With two more runs scored in the fifth by Husson, the Eagles were able to maintain the lead and come away with an 8-1 victory. 

The Eagles will take on the winner of Maine Maritime and the University of Maine Farmington game at 4:00pm.

April 29, 2010

Farmington Outlasts Johnson State to Advance in NAC Softball Championship

FARMINGTON, Maine -- The third-seeded University of Maine at Farmington softball team outlasted No. 6 Johnson State College 8-7 in its North Atlantic Conference first-round game today at Prescott Field.

The Beavers (12-12) advance to the NAC Championship Round at Husson University this weekend. Farmington is scheduled to face No. 2 Maine Maritime Academy (20-5) at noon on Friday. The Badgers finished their season at 11-14.

Johnson State led 5-3 after three innings, but Farmington rallied by scoring in each of the next three frames. The Beavers took a 6-5 lead in the fifth when McKell Barnes (Durham, ME) doubled and later scored on an error and padded their advantage to 8-5 on a two-run single by Kasey McPhail (Benton, ME) in the sixth.

The insurance runs became important for Farmington in the seventh as the Badgers' Ashley Allegrini (Greenwich, CT) and Brittany Lumsden (Hardwick, VT) each plated a run before Farmington pitcher Jessica Timmreck (Brunswick, ME) came up with a strikeout with two runners on to close out the 8-7 victory.

Shannon Mitchell (Portsmouth, NH) singled and tripled for Farmington, while Lily Barry (Hermon, ME) and Sam Morency (Lewiston, ME) each singled, doubled and drove in a run. Timmreck helped herself with two singles and an RBI with Kaitlyn Bartlett (Chesterville, ME) belting a solo home run.

Allegrini singled twice for Johnson State with Caitlin Mackey (St. Albans, VT) blasting a solo home run. Maria Lovelette (Berkshire, VT) and Meagan Russ (Burlington, VT) each collected a hit and an RBI.

Timmreck walked two and struck out five in the complete-game win. Only two of the seven runs against Timmreck were earned.

Julie Gervais (Enosburg Falls, VT) started and re-entered for the Badgers with five hits allowed over 3.2 innings of work in the loss.

April 29, 2010

Thomas holds off Castleton, 1-0 to advance in NAC Softball Championship

Thomas starting pitcher Kelsey Crowe (Gorham, ME) threw a two-hit complete game shutout in the first round of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament to defeat the Castleton State College softball team, 1-0, ending the Spartans’ season at 16-20
overall.

The Terriers improve to 18-17 on the season and move on to play No.1 seeded Husson University on Friday, April 30 at 10:00 a.m.

Castleton starter Hilary Bemis (Crown Point, NY) was dealt the loss throwing six innings, giving up seven hits, one earned run, one walk and one strikeout. Crowe struck out five batters and walked none in the win.

Crowe helped out her own cause in the bottom of the first inning notching an RBI single plating Alexandra Kriegel (Winslow, ME) from third base. Kriegel led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a ground out and made it to third on a wild pitch from Bemis.

Offensively for Thomas, Kriegel went 2-for-3 out of the leadoff spot with one run scored. Megan Blongy (Rutland, VT) went 1-for-3 and first baseman Julie Benzenberg (Pine Bush, NY) picked up Castleton’s only other hit going 1-for-1 at the plate.

April 27, 2010

Weather Postpones Tuesday's Opening Round of NAC Softball Tournament

Tuesday's opening round contests for the 2010 NAC Softball Championship have been rescheduled due to weather. Johnson State will travel to Maine-Farmington on Thursday, April 29th. Castleton will visit Thomas Thursday in the other first round contest. First round winners will advance to Husson for a double-elimination tournament with contests beginning Friday, April 30 as previously scheduled.

April 25, 2010

Husson Claims Top Spot For Upcoming NAC Softball Championship

After completing conference play with a perfect 14-0 mark for the second consecutive season, Husson University has earned the top seed in the upcoming NAC Softball Championship. The Eagles, 23-13 overall, earned a first round bye along with second seed Maine Maritime Academy (11-3 NAC, 20-5 overall).

Third seed Maine-Farmington (9-5 NAC, 12-12) will host sixth seed Johnson State (4-10 NAC, 11-13) when first round action begins Tuesday, April 27. Fifth seed Castleton (7-7 NAC, 16-19) will travel to fourth seed Thomas (8-6 NAC, 17-17) in the other first round contest.

First round winners will advance to Husson for a double-elimination tournament with contests beginning Friday, April 30. Husson will meet the winner of Castleton and Thomas in the first contest on Friday at 10:00 am. Maine Maritime would play the Maine-Farmington/Johnson State winner in the second game at 12:00 pm.

The top six teams qualify for the NAC Championship. Predetermined tiebreaking procedures were used to seed teams. Game times are subject to change. The NAC Champion receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship.