The University of Maine softball team snapped a 28-game regular season conference losing streak on Monday, and would end up sweeping UMass-Lowell in a doubleheader at the Pierre & Catherine Labat Softball Complex in Orono 1-0 and 3-2.
In game one- A first inning RBI single by Bailey Snowberger is all the Black Bears would need in ending that long regular season America East losing streak. The Riverhawks had at least one runner in scoring position in three of the seven innings, but couldn’t push anything across. Madison Simmerman (4-11) won in the circle in a complete game effort giving up four hits walking seven and striking out six.
In game two- Maine rallied in their last at bat to score twice to complete the sweep with a walk-off victory. They took a 1-0 lead on a bases loaded walk by Kyli Hernandez in the second inning. The Riverhawks tied it on a single by Katelyn Fitzgerald in the fourth, and jumped ahead 2-1 by scoring on a wild pitch in the fifth. The Black Bears began their final chance in the bottom of the seventh inning when Nora Campo drew a walk. Keira Inman pinch ran and would steal second. After Hernandez struckout, Morgan Pool singled down the leftfield line to tie it and would advance to second on the throw. Kaly Thomas then entered as a pinch runner for Pool, and would score on a single by Francesa Guerrera to right to end it. Giana Lacendra (5-12) took the pitching loss for UMass-Lowell. The Riverhawks, who had outscored the Black Bears 24-5 in the four games head to head this season before the doubleheader on Monday including 9-0 in the series opener on Sunday, fall to 16-25 and 6-11 in America East. Guerrera had two hits for Maine, and Alysen Reith (6-18) went the distance in the circle allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts to pick up the victory.
The Black Bears are now 10-33 overall and 2-15 in the conference. The game one America East victory was their first league win in the regular season since beating Bryant 5-1 on April 7th of last year. Maine will finish their 2025 regular season when they host those Bryant Bulldogs for a three game series this weekend, with a single contest at 2 p.m. on Friday and a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
