DANBURY, Conn. – Sophomore
Mia Ly (Lowell, Mass.) had a hand in all four runs in game two to help Plymouth State University split a Little East Conference (LEC) softball double header against Western Connecticut State University at Westside Field on Saturday.
Ly smashed a bases-loaded triple, then scampered home on a run-scoring single to help PSU take a 4-0 lead in the third inning of game two. The lead was more than enough for freshman
Emily Antrim (Limerick, Maine), who kept WestConn off the scoreboard into the sixth inning. The Wolves loaded the bases with two down in the bottom of the seventh, but Antrim induced a fly ball to preserve the 4-2 win.
PSU maintained a 1-0 lead into the fifth inning of the opener, but WestConn scored a pair in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. The hosts tacked on a pair of unearned insurance runs in the sixth to extend the margin to 4-1 and the Panthers could not claw back in their final at bat.
With the split, Plymouth State moves to 13-15 (4-6 LEC), while the Wolves go to 19-17 and 4-8 in league play.
The Basics:
- Game 1: Plymouth State 1, WestConn 4
- Game 2: Plymouth State 4, WestConn 2
- Plymouth State (13-15, 4-6 LEC)
- WestConn (19-17, 4-8 LEC)
How it Happened (Game One):
- Graduate student Lauren Archambault (Rehoboth, Mass.) singled to open the game and was bunted over, but the WestConn first baseman snared Ly's hot shot and doubled off Archambault to snuff out the early threat.
- Senior Rachyl Parslow (Temple, N.H.) gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead with a two-out single in the second.
- Graduate student Emily Picard (Berlin, N.H.) reached on an error and sophomore Jade Guertin (Oakland, R.I.) had a bunt single to start the fourth, but the Wolves erased the lead runner on each of the next two at bats to escape the jam.
- WestConn plated a pair of runs to jump in front, 2-1, in the fifth.
- Picard ripped a one-out single through the left side in the sixth, and pinch hitter Madison Pelletier (New Gloucester, Maine) singled with two away, but a strikeout ended the rally.
- The Wolves tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the inning.
- Freshman Emily Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) singled with two out in the top of the seventh, but the Panthers couldn't rally.
By the Numbers (Game One):
- Seven different players had hits for the Panthers.
- Picard scored the lone run, while Parslow had the RBI.
- Sophomore Kate McGrath (Boston, Mass.) went the distance, allowing just two earned runs while striking out three.
How it Happened (Game Two):
- PSU had runners on in each of the first two innings but couldn't get on the board.
- Antrim induced a double play ball in the first, then stranded a runner in scoring position in the second to keep the game scoreless.
- Parslow reached on an infield hit and sophomore Kaity Montelongo (South Paris, Maine) and Archambault had bunt singles to load the bases. After a fly out, Ly socked a three-run triple to right and two batters later Picard beat out an infield hit to score Ly and extend the lead to 4-0.
- The Wolves tried to rally with two down in the third with a pair of runners in scoring position, but Antrim got out unscathed with a ground ball to short.
- Looking for insurance, Guertin and Pelletier singled to start the sixth and were bunted into scoring position, but WestConn wiggled out of the jam with a strikeout and the Panthers were unlucky when Bessette's hard liner was snared in right field.
- The Wolves got a run back in the sixth.
- Antrim recorded the first two outs of the seventh, before three straight singles and a PSU miscue made it 4-2 with the tying runs in scoring position. A walk loaded the bases, but Antrim got a fly ball to right to close out the win.
By the Numbers (Game Two):
- Ly finished 2-for-2 with a triple, run scored, three RBI and two walks. She reached base in all four plate appearances.
- Picard also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
- Archambault reached twice with a single and a walk.
- Antrim improved to 5-5 with the win, striking out three in the complete game effort.
- The teams have split seven of the last eight series.
Up Next:
- The Panthers host Southern Maine for a key conference double header on Tuesday (Apr. 25) starting at 3:30 p.m.
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