PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Kaity Montelongo (South Paris, Maine) lined a walk-off single through the left side to drive in the winning run in game two as Plymouth State University swept the University of Maine Farmington in a non-conference softball doubleheader at D&M Park on Thursday afternoon.
Plymouth State entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 4-3, but junior
Abbey Nezuch (Marlborough, Mass.) sparked a rally with a leadoff single. Pinch runner
Ashley Trogler (Rochester, N.H.) was bunted to second, and sophomore
Kennedy Michaud (Auburn, N.H.) tied the game with a double to right-center that deflected off the right fielder's glove. Michaud moved up on a wild pitch, and after a lengthy at-bat, Montelongo ripped the game-winning single to left for the 5-4 win.
The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one as junior
Emily Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) smacked an RBI triple, and sophomore
Avery Couch (Fort Worth, Texas) followed with a sacrifice fly. Couch added another RBI in the second, legging out an infield hit to make it 3-0. The Beavers got a run back in the fifth and threatened in the seventh. A bunt put the tying runs in scoring position, and a sacrifice fly trimmed the deficit to one. PSU escaped further trouble as Bessette handled a sharp grounder at shortstop and just nipped the runner at first to secure a 3-2 victory.
Plymouth State improves to 20-11, reaching the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2019, while the Beavers slide to 10-14.
The Basics:
- Game 1: Plymouth State 3, UMaine Farmington 2
- Game 2: Plymouth State 5, UMaine Farmington 4
- Plymouth State (20-11)
- UMaine Farmington (10-14)
How it Happened (Game One):
- Junior Kenzie Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) walked to start the bottom of the first, and E. Bessette quickly made it 1-0 with a triple to left-center. Couch's sacrifice fly extended the lead to 2-0.
- PSU added a run in the second. A hit by pitch, walk, and bunt put runners on second and third before Couch beat out an infield hit to make it 3-0.
- Senior Jade Guertin (Oakland, R.I.) walked and Nezuch singled to start the third, but the Beavers worked out of the jam.
- PSU threatened again in the fourth with two in scoring position, but UMaine Farmington escaped unharmed.
- Junior Emily Antrim (Limerick, Maine) retired 13 straight batters into the fifth before the Beavers broke through with back-to-back hits. Antrim responded with a big strikeout for the second out, but a two-strike single allowed a run to cut it to 3-1
- A single and error put the tying runs on base in the seventh. Senior Kate McGrath (Boston, Mass.) entered in relief. A bunt moved the runners up, and a sacrifice fly made it 3-2. Couch made a strong throw home for what appeared to be a game-ending double play, but an obstruction call overturned the out at the plate. McGrath induced a sharp grounder to E. Bessette, who gunned down the runner at first to preserve the win.
By the Numbers (Game One):
- K. Bessette walked three times and scored once.
- E. Bessette singled, tripled, scored, and drove in a run.
- Couch finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
- Nezuch (two singles) and Guertin (two walks) also reached base twice.
- Antrim allowed just five hits and one earned run in six-plus innings, throwing only 67 pitches to improve to 5-5.
- McGrath notched her second save in as many games.
How it Happened (Game Two):
- The Beavers used three straight hits to take a 1-0 lead, adding another run two batters later. McGrath cut down a runner at the plate for the second out, and a flyball limited the damage.
- Plymouth State answered in the bottom half. E. Bessette and Couch singled, and senior Mia Ly (Lowell, Mass.) walked to load the bases. With two down, Nezuch drove a single up the middle to tie the game. On the next pitch, Nezuch took off for second and got caught in a rundown long enough for Guertin to race home for a 3-2 lead.
- UMaine Farmington tied the game with an unearned run in the second.
- PSU had a runner thrown out at the plate in the fourth, and the Beavers capitalized in the next half-inning with an RBI double just inside the left field line.
- K. Bessette singled and stole second in the bottom of the inning – matching the program's single-season record for stolen bases – but was stranded.
- Nezuch opened the seventh with a base hit. Trogler came on to run and was bunted to second. Michaud nearly missed an extra-base hit down the left field line, but the ball twisted foul. Down 0-2, she lifted a shot toward right-center. The right fielder dove but couldn't hang on as Trogler raced around the bases. The center fielder retrieved the ball quickly, but Trogler slid around the tag to tie it. A wild pitch moved Michaud to third, and Montelongo followed with a line drive through the drawn-in infield for the game-winner.
By the Numbers (Game Two):
- Nezuch went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, the Panthers' only multi-hit effort.
- Seven other PSU batters recorded hits, with Michaud adding the lone extra-base hit and driving in the game-tying run.
- Ly reached base twice with a single and a walk.
- K. Bessette tied the program record with her 26th stolen base of the season.
- McGrath tossed a complete game, striking out four and allowing three earned to improve to 9-5.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State visits Eastern Connecticut State for a key Little East Conference (LEC) doubleheader on Sunday (Apr. 27). First pitch for game one is set for 1:00 p.m.
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