The Husson University baseball and softball teams entered the winners bracket of the 2023 North Atlantic Conference Tournament on Monday each needing just one win to advance to the championship round on Tuesday. Softball is now in the drivers set as they advanced (2-0 tournament record) and will need just one more win to capture the postseason conference crown. Baseball (2-1) stayed alive in an elimination game and will need two wins on Tuesday to win the championship.
At the Winkin Complex in Bangor- After a comeback win in their opening game 8-6 on Sunday over rival Thomas College, Husson baseball would face the top overall seed from the West Division in SUNY-Cobleskill. The Eagles playing as the visitors would score twice in the top of the first inning, but would be shut down the rest of the way as the Fighting Tigers advanced to the NAC Championship round with a 7-2 win. Dylan Pohl had the game winning hit for Cobleskill in a three-run sixth. They added three more in the eighth inning for some breathing room. Akira Warren had two hits for Husson, and Connor Abood (2-4) pitched well in the loss allowing three runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Wyatt Palmer (4-2) pitched a complete game to earn the victory giving up two runs (none earned) on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Zach Ducorsky had three hits, while David Flora and Logan Firment had two a piece for the 22-13 Fighting Tigers.
In the second game of the day and an elimination contest- A Hunter Curtis solo homerun and an RBI double by Keegan Cyr in the eighth inning kept the Husson season alive with a 5-4 win over Thomas College. The Eagles had taken a 3-1 lead on a bases loaded walk by David York, a Curtis RBI single, and a wild pitch that scored Tanner Evans that helped build that advantage. The Terriers jumped ahead for the first time 4-3 on an RBI single by Reid Gagnon and a two-run double by Elijah Morton in the seventh. Curtis tied it with a solo homerun to left field with one out in the eighth inning. After a two out walk to Ty Knowlton, Cyr won it with the double to left center. Thomas had a runner on second with one out in their last opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, but Jarrad Willette struckout swinging and Morton flied out to right. Ryan Robb (4-0) would pick up the win in relief of starter Alex Smith, with Warren leading the way with three hits while Ethan Stoddard and Evans had two a piece. Nick Hutson had two hits for Thomas College, and Tony Meza (3-2) would suffer the pitching loss in relief. The Terriers season ends with a final record of 19-17.
The #2 seed Husson advances to the NAC Baseball Championship on Tuesday beginning at noon in a rematch with #1 SUNY-Cobleskill. The Eagles will need a win in the noontime game against the Fighting Tigers in order to force a winner take all game two which would tentively be set to begin at 3:30 p.m. Husson will be seeking their fourth straight postseason NAC Title.
At Wildcat Softball Field in Utica, New York- In a pitchers duel between McKenna Smith of Husson and Kelsey Currier from Thomas College, the Eagles softball team would advance to the NAC championship round with a 2-1 win in eight innings. Thomas would score first in the bottom of the third inning when Currier scored an unearned run after an error. A walk to Katie Raymond with the bases loaded in the fifth tied it for Husson 1-1 that eventually sent the game to extra innings. With the runner on second base rule to begin the eighth, Olivia McCarty sacrificed the runner Raymond to third on a bunt. Bulla McCabe then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Raymond that turned into the game winner for the Eagles. The Terriers had runners on second and third with one out in their last chance in the bottom half, but Smith struckout Maddie Rock swinging and then Megan Oberholzer lined out to shortstop Kenzie Dore to end it. Smith (19-5) in the circle allowed one run (none earned) on five hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts in the full 8.0 inning effort. Currier (9-7) suffered the tough luck loss giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts also pitching the complete game. Currier and Rock had two hits each for the Terriers, who then had their season come to an end in an elimination game loss to Cazenovia College finishing up with a 16-15 record. The host team SUNY-Poly was also eliminated on Monday by Cazenovia.
The #1 seed Husson advances to the North Atlantic Conference Softball Championship on Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. against #4 Cazenovia College. The Eagles need just one win to capture the NAC crown. A winner take all game two (if necessary) at 3 p.m. would happen if the Wildcats win the first game. Husson will be vying for their fifth straight postseason conference title.
Recaps by Chris Lessner
