Softball splits in NAC championship round
BANGOR -- The University of Maine at Farmington softball team downed Thomas College 7-3, but lost to Husson University 6-4 in the North Atlantic Conference championship round today.
The Beavers (16-12) are scheduled to face Thomas in an elimination game at noon on Saturday. The winner is scheduled to face Husson for the title at 2 p.m. Softball information
Nicky Sargent (Sullivan, ME) propelled Husson (25-14) into the championship game with a seventh inning two-run home run to win 6-4.
Farmington opened the game with three runs In the bottom of the inning, Kasey McPhail (Benton, ME) led off the inning with a bunt single. After an infield error, Mckell Barnes (Durham, ME) hit a laser down the right field line for a three-run home run.
In the top of the third, the Eagles got on the scoreboard taking advantage of Farmington's mistakes to score two unearned runs. Cassie Berry (JrNewcastle, ME) hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Brianna Webster ( Belfast, ME), for Husson's first run of the game. Sargent batted next and hit a RBI single to center, giving Husson their first hit and cutting the lead to 3-2.
The Beavers made it 4-2 in the bottom of the third. Jess Timmreck (Brunswick, ME) led off reaching on an infield error. After reaching third on a wild pitch, Timmreck scored on Emily Coye's (Naples, ME) groundout.
Husson tied the game in the fifth with a big swing from Dottie Cameron (S. Plainfield, NJ). Webster got things started with a single to left field and Cameron crushed a home run to dead center.
In the top of the sixth, Sarah Risser (Brewer, ME) led off the inning with a bloop single to right field. The Eagles loaded the bases with a Beaver infield error and a walk. Liz Bergeron (Milford, ME) got out of the inning for Farmington as she retired the next three batters on two pop-ups and one strikeout.
Sargent delivered the big hit in the top of the seventh. Berry lead off with a one out double off the left-center field fence. Sargent then stepped up and hit her second homerun of the day over the left field wall, giving Husson a 6-4 lead.
In Farmington's first game, the Beavers took advantage of five Thomas errors and outhit the Terriers 10-5 as Farmington took a 7-3 victory.
The Beavers were led by Bergeron, who picked up the complete-game win. Bergeron gave up three runs, only two earned, on six hits and two walks. Bergeron finished with 10 strikeouts.
Brittany Morin (Winslow, ME) led off the bottom of the first inning for Thomas with a double to left center. Bergeron struck out the next two batters. However, Kristy Clements (Monroe, ME) hit a two-strike pitch to right field, scoring Morin from second giving the Terriers an early 1-0 lead. Bergeron picked up her fifth strikeout in the bottom of the second as she struck out the side in order, on only ten pitches.
In the top of the third with one out and the bases loaded, the Beavers took the lead by scoring two runs on an infield throwing error. Samantha Morency (Lewiston, ME) then hit a two-run single to left field, giving the Beavers a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the third.
Alexandra Kriegal (Winslow, ME) led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to left field. After a walk and sac bunt, Morin hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Kriegal from third. Mallorie Blakney (Fairfield, ME) hit a single to left and Kristin Masessa (Montville, ME) scored on a fielding error to bring the Terriers within one run of the Beavers.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Timmreck hit a RBI infield single and Morency hit a two-run single to give the Beavers a 7-3 lead.
