WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston scored single runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to rally past third-seeded Plymouth State University, 5-4, in the championship game of the 2025 Little East Conference (LEC) Softball Tournament at Clyde Washburne Field on Sunday morning.
Plymouth State wraps up its season with a 28-16 record – the second-most wins in program history – and a 12-win improvement from last spring. UMass Boston climbs to 32-12-1 and claims the LEC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first, but the Beacons responded with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the frame to pull ahead. Plymouth State reclaimed the lead in the fifth when sophomore
Avery Couch (Fort Worth, Texas) delivered a two-run single, and junior
Abbey Nezuch (Marlborough, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2.
Junior
Emily Antrim (Limerick, Maine) was sharp in the circle, but a pair of defensive miscues in the sixth allowed the Beacons to trim the deficit to 4-3. PSU carried the lead into the bottom of the seventh and was one out away from its first-ever title when UMass Boston came through with a clutch, two-out single through the right side to tie the game.
The Panthers went down in order in the top of the eighth, and UMass Boston worked a leadoff walk in the bottom half. A sacrifice bunt moved the winning run into scoring position, and the Beacons walked it off with a double down the left field line for the 5-4 victory.
The Basics:
- Game 11: Plymouth State 4, UMass Boston 5 (8 Inn.)
- Plymouth State (28-16)
- UMass Boston (32-11-1)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State opened the scoring in the first when Couch walked, stole second, and came home on a double by senior Mia Ly (Lowell, Mass.) to make it 1-0.
- UMass Boston answered with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead.
- Ly singled to left with two outs in the third but was erased on a fielder's choice to end the inning.
- PSU rallied in the fifth. Junior Ariana Cray (Merrimack, N.H.) reached on an infield single and was bunted over. Junior Emily Bessette (Cranston, R.I.) drew a walk, and Couch followed with a go-ahead, two-run single. Nezuch added an RBI single to stretch the lead to 4-2.
- The Beacons capitalized on a pair of defensive miscues to score an unearned run in the sixth, then tied the game with a two-out single in the seventh.
- PSU went down quietly in the eighth, and UMass Boston opened the bottom half with a walk. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second, and a double down the left field line drove in the winning run.
By the Numbers:
- Antrim was outstanding, allowing just seven hits and two earned runs over 7.1 innings.
- Ly finished 2-for-4 with a single, a double, a run scored, and an RBI.
- Couch reached base twice with a single and a walk, scored a run, drove in two, and stole a base.
- Senior Caroline Macri (Burlington, Mass.) walked twice.
- PSU has fallen to the Beacons in all three of its appearances in the LEC Tournament championship game.
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