Due to impending weather the Maine and Albany softball teams played an America East doubleheader on Friday instead of Saturday. The first place Great Danes showed why they are at the top of the conference by sweeping the Black Bears at Kessock Field in Orono.
In the first game Albany scored the first two runs of the game and then held on for a 2-1 win. Aliyah Wade reached on a Black Bear throwing error in the first allowing a runner to score on the play to make it 1-0 Albany. Love Drumgole extended that to 2-0 with an RBI single in the fifth. Maine responded when Maddie Decker hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth but that is all the offense the Bears could muster in the loss.
Albany was held to three hits while Maine had four in the game. Emily Reid (3-11) took the loss in the circle for the Bears allowing one earned run, three hits, with four walks, and four strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Celeste Verdolivo (14-3) got the win allowing one run, four hits, with one walk, and seven strikeouts in the complete 7.0 inning effort.
In game two the two teams swapped leads in the first seven innings then did so again in extras, as Albany outlasted Maine 11-7 in 12 innings.
Albany had a 3-0 lead after two and a half innings on RBI hits from Sarah Petzold, Mariah Miramontez, and Chelsea Henige. Kya Enos hit a solo homer for Maine in the bottom of the third, and Keely Clark added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-2. Meaghan Royle tied it in the fourth with a solo homer. Alyssa Derrick gave the Bears their first lead of the day with an RBI single in the fifth to make it 4-3. Miranda Jimenez sent the game to extra innings with a two out RBI double in the seventh inning making it 4-4.
Wade gave Albany back the lead with an RBI single in the eighth, but Maine responded with a Kelby Drews RBI single in the bottom half. Alexis Phillips reached on a bunt allowing a run to score in the ninth, and Emelia Ely tripled in another run to give the Great Danes a 7-5 lead. Clark reached on a fielders choice to score a run for the Bears in the bottom of the ninth, and Royle tied it again with a sacrifice fly. Katie Falotico finally helped Albany put it away in the 12th with a two run single that scored a third run on a Maine error. Petzold followed with an RBI single to help the visitors to the sweep with a four run 12th inning.
Reid (3-12) lost her second game of the day in relief in the circle for Maine. Lilly Volk had started and went 2.0 innings, while Kyleigh O’Donnell also pitched 6.0 innings in relief. Hailey Perry had three hits for the Bears, while Decker, Clark, Derrick, and Drews all had two a piece. Chloe Lewis (3-3) got the win for Albany going the first 6.0 innings. Miramontez and Petzold had four hits a piece and Falitico had three. Maine falls to 10-25 overall, 2-9 in America East. Albany is 21-11, 9-1. The third game of the series Saturday was cancelled because of rain. Black Bears are at Binghamton for a three game series next weekend.
