(Game 1 Box) (Game 2 Box)

            SALEM, Mass. – Sophomore Ali Keith (Northfield, N.H.) pitched a complete-game five-hitter Thursday afternoon to lead Plymouth State University to a 2-1 victory over Salem State College in the night cap of their non-conference softball doubleheader.

            The Lady Vikings captured the opener with a 5-4 triumph in the opening game.  The doubleheader split leaves Salem State with an 11-4-1 overall record, while PSU is now 2-9.

            Keith allowed only two singles after the fourth inning and shutdown the Lady Vikings' bats, allowing only one earned run with two strikeouts to earn the victory. 

            Salem State jumped on top 1-0 in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Amanda Scola, who went 1-for-2 in the game, that scored Lauren Garchinsky who led off the inning with a single.

            PSU scored all the runs they would need in the fourth when sophomore Amy Green (Atkinson, N.H.) delivered a two-run single.  Senior Sammi Romano (Kingston, N.H./Sanborn Regionbal) also went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored while junior Andrea Pydnkowski (Danvers, Mass.) added two hits for the Panthers.

            Taylor Orlando belted a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the fifth inning of the opener to break a 2-2 tie and Salem State held on for a 5-4 win.  Orlando, who went 1-for-3 in the game, made her only hit count as she connected off starter Diana Bean with two outs to give the Lady Vikings a 5-2 lead.

            Down 2-0, Plymouth State tied the game in the fourth when freshman Jenn Bove (Medford, Mass.) singled and came around on a double by Heather Blase (Milford, N.H.) to cut the deficit to 2-1. Senior Rachel Pothier (Reading, Mass.) plated Blase with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

            Starting pitcher Katelynn Fanning kept PSU in check until the sixth when she gave up two runs to reduce the lead to 5-4. Blase, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI's, drove in one run with her second double and came around to score on a base hit by Pydynkowski. Kristen Lojko relieved Fanning and got the next two batters to end the Panthers threat. 

            Plymouth State opens Little East Conference play Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (1:00 p.m.), while Salem State is back in action Friday against Bridgewater State. 

(Courtesy of Salem State Sports Information) 

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