The Maine Black Bears softball team picked up a pair of wins in Clearwater, Florida on Saturday afternoon by beating Rutgers 5-0 before taking down Long Island 7-6 in dramatic fashion.
In Game One against Rutgers, Molly Flowers went the distance in the circle for Maine to pick up her third win of the season. Flowers only allowed three hits and struck out a career high 13 batters.
Offensively Maine got an Alyssa Derrick home run, her fourth of the spring. Derrick also scored a pair of runs and was 2 for 3 at the plate. Rachel Harvey had three hits, while Maddie Decker, Meaghan Royle and Rachel Carlson all had two hits a piece.
In Game Two, Maine would trail late, but Felicia Lennon would come up huge late to provide the dramatics.
After Maine led 3-1 after one inning, Long Island scored five runs in the top of the third inning to take a 6-3 lead. Maine got one back in the bottom half of the third to make it 6-4.
Maine would get a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-5 but the game would come down to the Black Bears last at bat in the bottom of the seventh. Maine would get a runner on base with one out and Lennon would then connect for a game winning two run homer to left to give the Bears the win.
Derrick homered again, a three run shot and second of the day while Royle also had three hits and a run batted in to lead the Black Bears at the plate.
Flowers picked up yet another win in the circle, her second of the day by pitching an inning of scoreless relief and striking out the side. Erin Bogdonavich started the game for Maine and was tagged for five runs in her 2.1 innings pitched.
Maine, now 8-9, ends their spring trip Sunday at 9 a.m. when it faces Florida A&M.
