The North Atlantic Conference softball tournament got underway Friday morning at Colby College in Waterville, hosted by the Thomas College Terriers.
Game 1 Thomas 4, UMaine-Farmington 3: In the opening game the host team from Thomas had to rally but would win the game in the eighth inning, after tying it with two outs in the seventh. Haley Holt reached base on an error by the Terriers in the top of the first inning, to also allow two unearned runs to score make it 2-0 Beavers. Lauren Guppy hit an RBI double and Bailey Dunphy an RBI triple though in the fifth to tie the game 2-2. Alyssa Dillan put UMF back up a run in the sixth with an RBI double at 3-2. Guppy then stepped to the plate in the Terriers last at bat in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and the tying run at second. Guppy looped one to right field that dropped in between three Beavers fielders to tie the game again 3-3. Kayla Bess then singled in Lauren Farina for the walkoff win in the eighth. Guppy had three hits to pace Thomas, while UMF only had two hits in the game. Kelsey Currier (9-3) won in relief in the circle allowing just one run, one hit, with one walk, and five strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Brianna McGrath (10-7) took the loss allowing three runs, seven hits, with four walks, and four strikeouts in 7.2 innings.
Game 2 Husson 9, UMPI 6- The second seeded Husson Eagles also had to make a comeback after a solid start to also advance to the winners bracket. Husson took the early lead on an Olivia Smith sacrifice fly in the first, and then on a ball hit by Chloe Gorey in the second inning an error was committed allowing two Eagles runners to score unearned to make it 3-0. Sarah Duncklee cut the lead to one with a two run single for the Owls in the third. Arika Brochu pushed it back to a two run lead though with an RBI double in the fourth. Melanee Terry gave the Owls their only lead with a three run homer in the top of the sixth at 5-4. Marissa Reagle hit the very next pitch also over the fence to make it a 6-4 score. Gorey though would reach on a bunt in the bottom of the sixth, and then another Owls throwing error allowed both A. Brochu and B. Brochu to score to tie the game 6-6. Smith then hit a two run homer to restore the Eagles lead 8-6, and Whitney Bess singled that forced another UMPI throwing error to score an unearned run and the end the scoring. Tamara Aunchman, Jen Jones, Morgan Coleman, and A. Brochu all had two hits a piece for Husson. Jones won in the circle to go to 10-5 allowing six runs, six hits, with one walk, and nine strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Jordi Lagassle and Reagle each had two hits for UMPI, and Brookelyn Garcia (10-8) suffered the pitching loss allowing five runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings.
With Fridays results, the schedule Saturday starts with UMPI vs UMF at noon in the losers bracket, and then Husson vs Thomas in the winners bracket at 3 pm.
