KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Plymouth State University softball team used a two-out rally to plate five runs in a 6-2 win over Wheaton College to split a pair of games at THE Spring Games at Fortune Road Athletic Complex on Sunday night.
Sophomore
Kenzie Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) and freshman
Avery Couch (Fort Worth, Texas) ripped back-to-back doubles in the big inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and sophomore
Abbey Nezuch (Marlborough, Mass.) added a two-run double later in the frame as PSU secured the come-from-behind win.
The Panthers lost their nightcap, 9-0, against Rutgers Camden.
Plymouth State moves to 2-3 on the young season, while Wheaton goes to 1-2. Rutgers Camden ends the day with a 2-2 mark.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 6, Wheaton 2
- Plymouth State 0, Rutgers Camden 9
- Plymouth State (2-3)
- Wheaton (1-2)
- Rutgers Camden (2-2)
How it Happened (Wheaton):
- Wheaton ripped a leadoff double in the bottom of the first, but Nezuch got a pair of fly outs and an infield popup to work out of the early jam.
- PSU got a runner to third in the top of the third when sophomore Ariana Cray (Merrimack, N.H.) was hit by a pitch to start the frame. She moved around the bases on a pair of bunts but was stranded at third.
- The Lyons came right back in the bottom of the inning to grab the game's first run.
- Nezuch did well to preserve the one-run deficit as Wheaton had runners on second and third with one down, and bases loaded with two outs in the fourth.
- Plymouth State rode the momentum into a five-run fifth. Freshman Kennedy Michaud (Auburn, N.H.) singled, was bunted to second and took third on a ground out. Junior Kaity Montelongo (South Paris, Maine) worked a walk and stole second, setting up Bessette's two-run double to put PSU in front, 2-1. Couch followed with an RBI double of her own and, following a Wheaton error that allowed junior Mia Ly (Lowell, Mass.) to reach, Nezuch helped her own cause with a two run double to right to push the margin to 5-1.
- Nezuch was lifted after the Lyons put two on with one down in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore Emily Antrim (Limerick, Maine) got the second out on a fielder's choice and came up with a huge strikeout looking to leave the bases loaded.
- Plymouth State tacked on a run in the top of the seventh when Montelongo reached on a bunt single and stole second. Bessette smacked her second two-bagger of the game to push the lead to 6-1.
- Wheaton wouldn't go down easily as the Lyons opened the bottom of the inning with a single and double. A sacrifice fly cut the lead to 6-2, but Antrim closed out the win with a strike out and infield popup.
By the Numbers (Wheaton):
- Bessette finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and a run scored from the leadoff spot.
- Couch also had a two-hit game with a single, double a run scored and an RBI.
- Montelongo was 1-for-1 with a walk and two runs scored, while she also stole two bases.
- Nezuch picked up the win in her first start of the year, going the first 4.1 innings and allowing just one unearned run.
- Antrim went the final 2.2 innings, striking out two and allowing just two hits.
- The win was the Panthers' first against Wheaton, improving to 1-3 in the all-time series.
How it Happened (Rutgers Camden):
- The Scarlet Raptors scored an unearned run in the top of the first to take an early lead.
- Rutgers Camden added two more in the third to make it 3-0.
- Another unearned run in the fifth extended the margin to 4-0.
- Meanwhile, the Panthers' bats were silenced as the Scarlet Raptors' starting pitcher was in control.
- The visitors tacked on two runs in the sixth and another three in the seventh.
- Bessette had PSU's lone hit in the sixth. The Panthers loaded the bases with two down in the seventh on three straight walks, but a strike out ended the comeback attempt.
By the Numbers (Rutgers Camden):
- Bessette had PSU's only hit.
- Freshmen Lauren Laudani (Londonderry, N.H.) and Cayleigh Adams (Hampton, N.H.) and junior Caroline Macri (Burlington, Mass.) all worked walks.
- Laudani also reached on a hit by pitch.
- Senior Alyssa Wilson (Bradford, Mass.) allowed just one earned run and one hit in her five innings of work.
Up Next:
- The Panthers move to Clermont, Fla. for a pair of games on Monday (Mar. 11). PSU opens the day with Babson at 9:00 a.m., before squaring off against Rutgers Newark at 1:45 p.m.
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