FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington softball team dropped both ends of a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at the hands of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. UMPI took game one, 3-1, and game two, 4-2.
Game One; Presque Isle 3 - Farmington 1
Both starting pitchers, Emma DeBoer (Saint Leonard, Md.) for Farmington and Gracelyn Walsh for Presque Isle, were on top of their games, working through the opposing lineups with little resistance in the early innings.
Walsh, hitting for herself, recorded a two-out double in the top of the first, but that was the only baserunner the Owls had through the first three innings against DeBoer. On the flip side, Walsh issued a two-out walk in the bottom of the second, the lone Beaver to reach base through three innings.
The Owls were able to manufacture a run in the top of the fourth to grab a 1-0 lead. Zoe Stewart led off the inning with a single and then moved to second on a wild pitch. After Walsh walked, Keira Green hit into a fielder's choice that retired Walsh and put runners on the corners with one out. The next batter, Abby Doughty, lofted a fly ball into foul territory down the right field line that was caught and deep enough to allow Stewart to tag and score the first run of the game.
Walsh worked around back-to-back walks in the fourth as the Beavers remained hitless into the fifth inning. Bella Miller (Lewiston, Maine) delivered a two-out infield single in the bottom of the fifth to record Farmington's first hit of the game, but she was stranded as Walsh helped UMPI maintain a 1-0 lead.
The Owls added a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to extend their lead to three. Hailey Saylor doubled to lead off the inning, and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Green. Green hit a grounder up the middle that deflected off DeBoer, forcing shortstop Angelina Ventullo (Salem, N.H.) to dive and knock the ball down, but everyone was safe as Saylor crossed the plate to make it 2-0. After Farmington cut down Stewart at home on a fielder's choice, Buchholz brought in Walsh on a groundout to make it 3-0.
After tallying just two hits through the first six innings, the Farmington offense made some noise in the bottom of the seventh. Maddie Pike (Kennebunk, Maine) led off the inning with a double, and Lisa Truchin (Torrance, Calif.) reached on an error, bringing the tying run to the plate with nobody out. After a strikeout, Miller reached on another infield single to load the bases. The next batter, Taylor Truman (Monmouth, Maine), lifted a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Pike. The relay throw got away, and Truchin tried to take advantage, but the Owls tracked down the loose ball and flipped it to the catcher to nab Truchin for the final out.
Stat Leaders - Farmington
Bella Miller; 2-for-3
Taylor Truman; 0-for-0, SAC fly, RBI
Maddie Pike; 1-for-3, 2B, 1 run
Melissa Mayo; 1-for-3
Stat Leaders - Presque Isle
Hailey Saylor; 2-for-4, 2B, 1 run
Gracelyn Walsh; 1-for-1, 2B, 1 run, 2 BB
Keira Walsh; 1-for-3, 1 RBI
Zoe Stewart; 1-for-3, 1 run
On the Mound - Farmington
Emma DeBoer (L, 1-6); 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
On the Mound - Presque Isle
Gracelyn Walsh (W, 5-3); 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Game Two; Presque Isle 4 - Farmington 2
The Owls jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI double off the bat of Green. Saylor led off the game with a single before coming around to score on Green's two-out double.
Farmington knotted the game in the bottom of the second when junior center fielder Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine) belted her fourth home run of the season.
UMPI wasted no time regaining the lead with three runs in the top of the third inning. Consecutive singles from Briana Perez and Saylor put runners on first and second with nobody out. Following a foul out, Walsh blasted a three-run home run to right-center to make it 4-1 Owls.
The Beavers had traffic on the bases in both the third and fourth innings, but Presque Isle starting pitcher Madison Boynton was able to strand runners at second and third in the third and then runners at first and second in the fourth.
Once again, in the bottom of the seventh, Farmington's offense started to come to life. Miller launched her second home run of the season to lead off the inning, making it a 4-2 game. Emily Collins (Moscow, Maine) and Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, Maine) followed with back-to-back singles. After a SAC bunt moved runners to second and third—with the runner at second representing the tying run—Boynton struck out the next two batters she faced to escape trouble and secure the win for Presque Isle.
Stat Leaders - Farmington
Melissa Mayo; 3-for-4
Bella Miller; 1-for-3, HR, 1 RBI, 1 run
Jessica Dow; 1-for-4, HR, 1 RBI, 1 run
Stat Leaders - Presque Isle
Gracelyn Walsh; 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs, 1 run
Hailey Saylor; 2-for-3, 2 runs
Briana Perez; 2-for-3, 1 run
Keira Green; 2-for-4, 2B, 1 RBI
On the Mound - Farmington
Natalie Simpson (L, 3-5); 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Lisa Truchin; 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
On the Mound - Presque Isle
Madison Boynton (W, 4-6); 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
UP NEXT
The Beavers will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they travel to Vermont for a doubleheader with VTSU Lyndon. Game one is set to begin at 1:00 PM.
