The University of Maine softball team tried to ride the momentum of an upset win over Bryant University on Wednesday at the America East Tournament, as they headed into a second round game on Thursday afternoon at the Maine Softball Facility in Orono. In a tight contest that the Black Bears scored first in, they would fall just short to Binghamton forcing them into an elimination game and a rematch with Bryant.
Game 1 vs Binghamton- #2 seed Binghamton rallied to score three times in the bottom of the fourth inning, and held on for a 3-2 win over Maine. In the top of the fourth inning with the game scoreless, Katie Jo Moery was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. Caitlyn Fallon followed and hammered a 3-2 pitch over the fence in leftfield to make it 2-0 Black Bears. It was the second homer in as many days for Fallon, who had tied the game with Bryant on Wednesday with a three-run shot. The Bearcats came right back in the last half of the inning. Lindsey Walter led off and reached second base on an error by the shortstop Moery. With one out, Emma Lawson tied it with a two-run homer to left. Shelby Carvalho kept the rally alive with a single and stole second. With two outs, Bella Farina doubled to leftfield to score Carvalho with the game winner. Isabelle True (2-10) took the loss in the circle for Maine allowing three runs on four hits with no walks and one strikeout in 3.2 innings. The Black Bears were held to the one hit by Fallon. Brianna Roberts (9-6) got the pitching win for Binghamton giving up two runs on one hit with one walk and five strikeouts in the complete 7.0 inning effort. The Bearcats (33-16) will move into a winners bracket game against top seed Albany (31-12) on Friday morning at 11 a.m. The team that is victorious in that contest with have the inside track to winning the America East Championship, as they will have to be beaten twice on Saturday.
Game 2 vs Bryant- Bryant University used a big third inning, knocking Maine out of the tournament and home for the season with a 7-4 victory. After MaKenna Coleman put the Bulldogs ahead to stay with a solo homerun to left in the bottom of the first, they broke it open with a six-run outburst in the third. Olyvia Smith and Coleman both walked, and Olivia Fee singled to load the bases. Aleix Hudson followed with a two-run single, Alexis Larrow walked, and Fee would score on a wild pitch. Sam Rohwer singled in a run, Hannah Cochran scored on a wild pitch, and Coleman got her second RBI of the game with a bases loaded walk that made it 7-0. The Black Bears had some fight left. Nora Campo got her teams first hit when she lifted a high towering solo homerun to centerfield in the fifth inning, and Rylee Kent had an RBI single in the sixth. Kyrah Haba-Dailey drove another run in on an RBI groundout in the seventh, and Gabby Papushka had an RBI single to cut it to a three-run deficit. Kent though struck out swinging to end the rally, the game, and the season for Maine. Campo had two hits in the loss, while True (2-11) took her second defeat of the day in the circle. True allowed five runs on five hits and walked two in her 2.0 innings. Fee and Cochran had two hits each for Bryant, while Coleman and Hudson knocked in two runs a piece. Kylie Kenney (12-6) got the pitching win giving up no runs and no hits with no walks and five strikeouts over 3.0 innings. Lexi Powell picked up her first save. The Bulldogs (34-16) will play another elimination game against UMass-Lowell (15-28) on Friday afternoon at 1:30. Maine ends up with a final record of 5-41, with just two wins against conference opponents (2-22).
Recaps by Chris Lessner
