BANGOR- Kenzie Dore hit a two-run walkoff homerun in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday afternoon, as the Husson Eagles won their opening game of the North Atlantic Conference Tournament 3-2 over Thomas College at O’Keefe Field on the campus of Husson University.
Thomas (16-16) winners of eight straight games, had opened the tournament with a mercy rule shortened 16-0 victory over Northern Vermont-Lyndon on Friday morning. And the matchup with Husson was a pitching duel throughout, as top pitchers on each team Kelsey Currier for the Terriers and McKenna Smith for the Eagles battled it out and both went the distance. Thomas broke on top in the first inning when Claudia Magliaccio singled to drive in Anna Piirainen, who had walked with one out. The Terriers had two on base with one out in both the third and fifth innings, but Smith was able to work around it. The 1-0 score held until the bottom of the fifth, when Teagan Blackie led off and hammered a 2-0 pitch for a solo homer to left center field to tie it for the hosts. The contest would end up going to extra innings. With the runner on second base rule to begin the eighth, Thomas regained the lead when Bailey Dunphy attempted to go to third on a passed ball and then scored on an errant throw by Husson catcher Meagan Gosselin for a 2-1 advantage. Maddie Rock then doubled, but again Smith avoided more trouble with back to back strikeouts and a lineout to escape. With Katie Windsor placed on second to start the bottom half of the eighth, Whitney Bess would pop up to the pitcher Currier trying to sacrifice bunt. Dore though would take the next offering with a no doubt homerun to win it that cleared the scoreboard in left field.
Smith allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits with two walks and 17 strikeouts for the win in the circle. Five strikeouts were caught looking. Blackie, Windsor, Dore, Julia Gregoire, and Madelyn Fowler all had one hit a piece. Currier and Dunphy had two hits a piece for Thomas College in the loss. Currier allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. The #4 seeded Terriers (1-1 in tournament) now play the #6 SUNY-Canton Kangaroos in an elimination game on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. Husson will face SUNY-Cobleskill on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Tigers won their opener over Cazenovia College 18-5, and will enter play with the Eagles with an 11 game winning streak.
