BANGOR- After an opening round loss 3-1 to Framingham State University on Thursday afternoon that snapped their 30-game win streak, the Husson Eagles were sent into the losers bracket on day two of their NCAA Division III Softball Regional at O’Keefe Field on Friday afternoon needing to win a pair of elimination contests in order to stay alive and get into the championship round on Saturday.
In the first elimination game- Husson got a solid start from Ana Lang in the circle, and got a pair of two-out hits in the bottom of the eighth inning to get a 2-1 walkoff win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to stay alive. The Eagles jumped on top in the bottom of the first. Katie Raymond was hit by a pitch to lead off, and then stole second base. Josie Cornell followed with a single, and also stole second. With one out, Bulla McCabe lifted an RBI sacrifice fly to leftfield to score Raymond for a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the score would stay where it was for a while and Lang was rolling along only allowing two baserunners (error and a walk) over the first 5.2 innings. The Engineers got their first hit with two outs in the sixth on an infield single by Erin Askins. RPI would finally come through in the top of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Liv Vizzini led off with a double to centerfield, and Gabby Comeau would lay down a sacrifice bunt to get the runner over to third base. Alex Ledger followed with a double off the fence in left to tie it 1-1. Still stuck in a jam with a runner in scoring position, Lang got out of it by inducing a groundout to second and a popout to shortstop. The game winner in the bottom of the eighth all happened with two outs. Kenzie Dore doubled to deep left centerfield that rolled to the base of the fence. McCabe came up next, and sent a sharp groundball up the middle that went off the glove of Engineers shortstop Catherine Worthington and into short centerfield that allowed enough time for Dore to come around from second base to score the walkoff run.
Lang (19-2) was fantastic again in picking up the pitching win for Husson. The freshman allowed just one run on three hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts in the complete game 8.0 inning effort. Dore had two hits, and McCabe drove in both runs. Brooke Sroczinski (18-5) also went the distance and was tagged with the defeat for RPI, giving up two runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. The Engineers, who came into the tournament as an at-large bid as a runner-up out of the Liberty League, end a great season with a final record of 34-7-1.
In the second elimination game- Husson scored twice in the top of the first inning, and Danielle Masterson and Lang combined on a three-hit shutout as the Eagles picked up their second win of the day and advanced to the regional championship round with a 2-0 victory over Framingham State. In a game that was moved to the UMaine Softball Facility in Orono because of rain earlier at O’Keefe Field, Husson got all they needed in their first at bat. With two outs, Dore singled to centerfield. McCabe continued her hot hitting with an RBI double to right center, and Tori Exel followed with another RBI double to center.
In the circle, it was Masterson and Lang doing the rest to protect the lead. Masterson only allowed one runner into scoring position in her 4.0 innings, before Lang came on in relief. The Rams pressured Lang in the bottom of the sixth inning, loading the bases with one out. As she has done all season, Lang was able to find a way out of the jam. She struckout Eliza Carignan swinging, and then got Talia Duca to bounce into a fielders choice to end the threat. Framingham St. went in order in their last at bat, that included two more strikeouts for Lang to send her team into Championship Saturday against Williams College.
Julia Gregiore had two hits to lead Husson, while McCabe and Exel provided the run scoring hits with an RBI each. Masterson (13-2) had a final line of 4.0 innings pitched giving up no runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in picking up the win. Lang got her third save of the season allowing no runs on one hit with one walk and four strikeouts over the final 3.0 frames. Ally Moran (14-9) was tagged in the loss for Framingham State with two runs allowed on six hits with no walks and two strikeouts in the complete game. Makayla Rooney had two hits, as the Rams end their season with a record of 25-20.
The Husson Eagles (37-5) square off with the champions out of the NESCAC the Williams College Ephs (25-11) in the regional championship round that begins at 11 a.m. Saturday scheduled to take place back at O’Keefe Field in Bangor. Williams is 2-0 in the tournament, outscoring their two opponents 15-1. The Ephs will need to be beaten twice by the Eagles in order for Husson to win the regional. A second if necessary game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Recaps and videos by Chris Lessner/All photos are courtesy of Eric Ogden Photography
