BANGOR- The #1 seeded Husson Eagles scored nine runs in the first inning on Friday morning, and cruised to a 12-4 mercy rule shortened six inning win over the Endicott Gulls in the opening game of the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament at O’Keefe Field on the campus of Husson University. It is the first NCAA Tournament win since 2015 for the Eagles.
Sydney Ames led off the bottom of the first inning with an infield single. Ames then advanced to second base and Whitney Bess made it to first on a fielders choice when Bess laid down a bunt. Kenzie Dore also reached on a second error by the Endicott shortstop to load the bases with no outs. After Morgan Coleman lined out to the first baseman, Jen Jones reached on another error that scored both Ames and Bess. A walk to Olivia McCarty loaded the bases again, and Madelyn Fowler followed with a two-run single to center to make it 4-0. They finished up the huge inning when the top of the order came back up and Ames had an RBI infield hit, and Bess walked with the bases loaded. Dore slammed a two-run single, and another run scored on the same play on a throwing miscue by the Gulls to extend to a 9-0 advantage.
Endicott (19-3) got on the board in the top of the second on a leadoff triple by Lauren Masiaszek, and a sacrifice fly from Katie Terban. Keelin Spencer later added a two out, two-run double to cut it to 9-3. The score stayed the same for a while, until the Gulls had a good chance to slice into the deficit even more in the top of the sixth. Spencer singled in her third run of the game, but they left the bases loaded when Meaghan Connor flied out to right to end the threat. Husson wrapped up the win in the bottom half when Katie Windsor and Ames led off with singles, and then with two outs Coleman reached on a fielders choice error that scored both Windsor and Ames. Jones ended the mercy rule victory with an RBI single into centerfield.
Jones (13-0) picked up the win in the circle allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with five walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Ames led all batters in the game going 4-4 at the plate. Spencer had two hits in the loss for Endicott, and Michaela Hamill (6-2) took the pitching defeat allowing six runs (two earned) on two hits lasting only 1/3 of an inning.
#6 Endicott is into the losers bracket and is scheduled to play again on Friday at 4 p.m. in a elimination game against #2 Babson. Husson (28-1) has now won 21 straight games, and is into a winners bracket contest on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to face the #4 seed Eastern Connecticut State (30-3).
BOX SCORE-
END (19-3) 0 3 0 0 0 1- 4 6 4
HUS (28-1) 9 0 0 0 0 3- 12 9 1
Winning pitcher- Jen Jones (13-0)
Losing pitcher- Michaela Hamill (6-2)
