The Maine Black Bears had a very tough 2022 season come to an end on Wednesday afternoon in the double elimination America East Softball Tournament hosted by Binghamton University in Vestal, New York.
Maine fell to UMass-Lowell 7-1 in the opener, and then lost in heartbreaking fashion on a walkoff in the seventh inning in game two at the hands of the Hartford Hawks 5-4. Keely Clark had the lone RBI in the loss to the Riverhawks with a second inning single, and Kelby Drews had three hits. Emily Reid lost in the circle allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits in 1.2 innings. Becca Vaillancourt had two hits and two RBI for UMass-Lowell, while Cayla Tulley also drove in three runs. In game two, Gabby Papushka had a two-run homerun in the sixth for a 4-2 Maine lead, before Hartford responded with a single run in the last of the sixth and then a pair of RBI singles in their last at bat to walk it off and end the season for the Black Bears. Izzy Nieblas and Papushka had two hits each, and Caitlyn Fallon took the pitching loss allowing three runs on five hits over the final 2.2 innings. Chandler Mitchell had three hits for the Hawks, and Jordan Nastros and Samantha Nagel each had a pair.
Maine ends the season with a final record of 8-37, and also ending the campaign with six straight losses. UMBC (30-10) is the top seed of the tournament and the defending champion. The Retrievers have already won their first two games, advancing to the championship round on Saturday where they’ll need to be beaten twice.
