PLYMOUTH, N.H. - The Plymouth
State University softball team wrapped up the regular season
Saturday afternoon at D&M Park with a Little East Conference
doubleheader sweep of the University of Massachusetts Boston,
winning the first game 10-1 in five innings and taking the
nightcap, 10-3.
The two wins clinch a spot for PSU in the Little East Conference
Tournament, which begins on Thursday at top-seeded Eastern
Connecticut State University. The Panthers finish the regular
season at 24-12 overall and tied for fifth in the LEC at 5-9, while
the Beacons conclude their campaign at 7-28 overall and 2-12 in
conference play. The 24 wins for PSU matches the
second-highest single-season total in school history, and is an
11-game improvement over last season.
The Panthers smacked out 10 runs on 12 hits in the opener,
including home runs by sophomore Kay LaBrie
(Somersworth, N.H.) and freshman Kortney Nedeau
(Kennebunk, Maine). Freshman Andrea Pydynkowski
(Danvers, Mass.) had three hits for PSU in the first game, while
LaBrie had two hits and drove in three runs. Senior Danielle
Normand (Rumford, R.I.) also collected two hits, while Nedeau
scored three runs after reaching base on a pair of walks and her
fourth homer of the season.
Sophomore Kat Roland (Norton, Mass.) earned the
win (11-4) for PSU, allowing just three hits and a run in five
innings or working without walking a batter and striking out 10.
UMass Boston scored its only run in the fourth inning on a pair of
doubles by freshman Kristine Faffley (Westmoreland, N.Y.) and
junior Courtney Haroules (Littleton, Mass.)
The Beacons out-hit the Panthers 11-6 in the second game, but PSU
took advantage of five UMB errors to score six unearned runs.
Plymouth State led 4-2 after three innings, but took control with
three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings.
LaBrie cracked her second home run of the day and team-leading
sixth of the season to lead the Panther hitters. Junior
Courtney MacFarland (Hampstead, N.H.) was the
winning pitcher for PSU, improving her record to 8-6.
Junior Lauren O'Connor (Everett, Mass.) led the visitors with three
hits and an RBI in the nightcap. Haroules and Faffley also
had two hits apiece, including a double.
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