The North Atlantic Conference softball tournament continued Saturday at Colby College in Waterville with a pair of losers bracket games and a winners bracket contest between the top two seeds.
Game 3- UMPI 1, UMaine-Farmington 0: The University of Maine Presque Isle Owls got a second inning RBI single from Anaiz Diaz and an outstanding pitching performance from Brookelyn Garcia to stay alive in the tourney, and send the Beavers from UMF home for the season. Marissa Reagle led UMPI with two hits, while five different UMF batters got a hit each. Garcia (11-9) allowed no runs, five hits, no walks, with nine strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Brianna McGrath (10-8) lost in the circle for UMF allowing one run, five hits, with one walk, and seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings. UMF ends their season at 14-20.
Game 4- Husson 7, Thomas 6: In the winners bracket game, the Eagles rallied with three in the fifth and one in the sixth to knock off the top seeded Terriers. The teams went back and forth early with Husson taking a 1-0 lead, before Thomas took a 2-1 advantage in the third. Arika Brochu hit a solo homer to tie it, and Olivia Smith singled to give the Eagles the lead back 3-2 in the bottom half of the third. The Terriers then scored four runs in the fourth to make it 6-3, led by an RBI single from Katie Taylor, a wild pitch, a Lauren Guppy RBI single, and a sacrifice fly for an RBI by Kayla Bess. Smith though evened the score with a three run homer for the Eagles in the bottom of the fifth, and Jen Jones got the game winner with an RBI single in the sixth. Jones (11-5) got the win in relief allowing no runs and no hits over the last three innings. Smith, Jones, and A. Brochu all had three hits a piece. Kelsey Currier (9-4) was charged with the loss in relief by allowing four runs on seven hits in 2.0 innings. Currier and Guppy had two hits a piece.
Game 5- Thomas 5, UMPI 4: In the last of the losers bracket games, the Thomas Terriers walked off in the bottom of the seventh to send the Owls home for the season while advancing to Sundays championship round. UMPI had taken a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Sarah Duncklee hit a solo homer. Lexi Colpack tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth for Thomas, and in same frame Sydney Lebourvea had a two run single to make it 4-2 Terriers. Melanee Terry tied it up though with a two run homer for the Owls in the sixth. The Terriers won it when Bess hit a grounder allowing Colpack to score in their last at bat. Colpack had three hits to pace Thomas, and Katlyn Coulter (10-2) got the win in the circle allowing three runs on six hits in 7.0 innings. Reagle (5-3) lost in the circle for UMPI allowing three runs on five hits in 4.1 innings. Terry had two hits. The Owls end their season at 16-15.
The championship game (game 6) between Husson (23-9) and Thomas (24-9) begins at 11 a.m. Sunday. If Thomas wins, there will be a decisive game 7 at 1:30 with a winner take all. The NAC tournament champion gets an automatic bid to the 2019 Division III NCAA softball championships.
