DANBURY, Conn. – Senior
Kate McGrath (Boston, Mass.) was dominant in the circle to lead Plymouth State University to a split with Western Connecticut State University in a Little East Conference (LEC) softball doubleheader at Westside Field on Thursday.
McGrath posted nine strikeouts without a walk, scattering just five hits in a complete game victory as the Panthers took game one, 4-1. Junior
Kenzie Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) reached base three times with a triple, single and walk, while senior
Mia Ly (Lowell, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
PSU raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two, but the Wolves tied the game in the bottom of the inning, then used single runs in the second and fourth to build a 5-3 lead. Ly and junior
Keelie Wells (Milford, N.H.) roped doubles to pull within one, 5-4, in the fifth, but WestConn pitching retired eight of the next nine batters to hold on for the win.
Plymouth State moves to 9-6 (1-1 LEC), while the Wolves are 6-8 (1-1 LEC).
The Basics:
- Game 1: Plymouth State 4, WestConn 1
- Game 2: Plymouth State 4, WestConn 5
- Plymouth State (9-6, 1-1 LEC)
- WestConn (6-8, 1-1 LEC)
How it Happened (Game One):
- Plymouth State took a first inning lead when junior Emily Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) scored on Ly's two-out single.
- McGrath was helped by her defense as the Panthers recorded an out at the plate in the bottom of the inning.
- McGrath worked around a leadoff double in the second, striking out back-to-back hitters before inducing a comebacker to end the frame.
- Senior Kaity Montelongo (South Paris, Maine) singled to start the fifth, and K. Bessette made it 2-0 with an RBI triple, though the Panthers were unable to push across any additional runs.
- WestConn cut the deficit in half in the sixth and had the go-ahead run in scoring position with just one out, but McGrath notched a huge strikeout looking and got a ground ball to short to end the threat.
- Plymouth State tacked on key insurance runs in the seventh. K. Bessette walked and E. Bessette singled. The pair moved up on a sacrifice bunt, and Ly's two-run double extended the lead to 4-1.
- McGrath retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning to seal the win.
By the Numbers (Game One):
- K. Bessette tripled, singled and walked, scoring once and driving in a run.
- E. Bessette went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Ly finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
- Wells also posted a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3.
- McGrath went the distance, allowing just five hits and no walks. Her nine strikeouts were the most since a 10-K outing while pitching for Regis College during the 2022 season.
How it Happened (Game Two):
- PSU continued to strike early, plating three runs in the top of the first. K. Bessette singled and stole second, and E. Bessette followed with a base hit. A defensive miscue allowed a run to score as E. Bessette went all the way to third. Ly knocked in a run on another WCSU error, and Wells poked a single to make it 3-0.
- WestConn used a two-out, two-run double to tie the score in the bottom of the inning.
- The Wolves got another two-out RBI double in the second to pull in front, 4-3.
- Montelongo singled and E. Bessette was hit by a pitch to put two runners on in the fourth, but a strikeout ended the threat.
- The hosts added a sacrifice fly to make it a two-run game, 5-3, in the bottom of the inning.
- Plymouth State answered right back in the fifth. Ly rocked a double and, after a groundout, Wells knocked a two-base hit to pull within 5-4, but that was all the Panthers would get.
- WestConn pitching retired the Panthers in order in the sixth and seventh to eke out the one-run win.
By the Numbers (Game Two):
- Wells finished with a three-hit game, going 3-for 4 with a double and two RBIs.
- Ly doubled and scored twice, while the Bessette sisters each finished 1-for-3 with a run scored.
- Senior Jade Guertin (Oakland, R.I.) and Montelongo had PSU's other base hits.
- Junior Emily Antrim (Limerick, Maine) took the loss for the Panthers, striking out three over six innings.
- The teams have split the regular season series each of the last four years.
Up Next:
- The Panthers head to Curry College for a non-conference twin bill on Wednesday (Apr. 2). First pitch for game one is set for 3:00 p.m.
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