FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington softball team earned its fifth and sixth consecutive wins on Wednesday afternoon with a pair of victories in a doubleheader sweep of the University of Maine at Augusta. The Beavers earned a 4-0 win in game one before taking game two, 8-3.
Game One; Farmington 4 - Augusta 0
First-year starting pitcher Natalie Simpson (Bucksport, Maine) worked around early traffic in both the first and second innings to keep the Moose scoreless. Augusta stranded runners on first and third in the first inning and on first and second in the second inning.
The Beavers got on the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the second. Four straight singles to open the inning pushed across the game's first two runs. Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine), Maddie Pike (Kennebunk, Maine), Lisa Truchin (Torrance, Calif.), and Bella Miller (Lewiston, Maine) all singled to help make it a 2-0 game. Following Miller's single, Angelina Ventullo (Salem, N.H.) walked to load the bases with nobody out. However, UMA starter Addison McCormick was able to work out of further trouble, inducing three straight popups to end the inning.
Farmington doubled its lead in the bottom of the third. Emily Collins (Moscow, Maine) led off the inning with a double and then came in to score on an RBI single from Pike. Pike moved over to second on a single from Miller and later scored on an RBI hit from Ventullo, making it 4-0.
The Moose were able to put runners aboard in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, but Simpson was able to tightrope her way out of trouble each time. In the fifth, a walk and an error put runners at first and second with nobody out, but Simpson retired the next three batters to escape. In the sixth, a one-out single from Samantha Withee and a walk to McCormick put runners on first and second. The two moved to second and third on a groundout but were stranded there as Simpson induced a foul popout to end the inning. In the seventh, Natalie Gilman walked and Shannon Parsons singled with two outs but did not score, as Simpson completed the shutout victory.
Stat Leaders - Farmington
Maddie Pike; 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 2 runs
Bella Miller; 2-for-3, 1 RBI
Emily Collins; 2-for-4, 2B, 1 run
Stat Leaders - Augusta
Samantha Withee; 1-for-2, BB
Addison McCormick; 1-for-2, BB
In the Circle - Farmington
Natalie Simpson (W, 5-5); 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
In the Circle - Augusta
Addison McCormick (L, 13-4); 3.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Shannon Parsons; 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Game Two; Farmington 8 - Augusta 3
Farmington didn't wait long to get on the scoreboard in game two, plating a pair in the bottom of the first. A two-out single from Collins got the offense going for the Beavers. Dow followed with a ball into the gap in right-center that brought Collins all the way around to make it a 1-0 game. Pike then drove in Dow with an RBI single, extending the lead to 2-0.
The Moose battled back in the top of the second, playing small ball to push across their first run of the game. Audrey Nile led off the inning with a walk and was immediately pinch-run for by Raegan Cowan. The next batter, Samantha Withee, dropped down a sacrifice bunt that allowed Cowan to advance from first to third and put UMA in business. McCormick then plated Cowan on a groundout, making it 2-1.
The middle innings were quiet as the game remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth. Back-to-back walks from Skye Chandler (New Gloucester, Maine) and Collins put a pair on in front of Dow. Dow delivered with a triple down the right-field line to push Farmington's lead to 4-1. Pike continued her hot stretch, bringing home Dow with a double to the gap in left-center.
The Beavers tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it an 8-1 game. Reilly Russell (Windham, Maine) led off the inning with a double to left and later scored on an error. Dow added her third RBI hit of the game, bringing home Chandler, who had reached on an error. After Pike singled and Truchin walked to load the bases, Haley Stewart hit an infield single to plate Dow and complete the three-run inning.
Augusta made some noise with two outs in the seventh. McCormick led off with a single, but back-to-back strikeouts put the Moose down to their final out. Madilyn Cote followed with a single, and Arabel Linkletter added an RBI single to make it 8-2. A double steal then put runners on second and third with Gilman at the plate. Gilman singled through the left side to make it an 8-3 game, but that was as close as the Moose got as Truchin induced a groundout to end the game.
Stat Leaders - Farmington
Jessica Dow; 3-for-4, 3B, 2B, 4 RBIs, 3 runs
Maddie Pike; 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs
Emily Collins; 2-for-3, 2 runs, BB
Haley Stewart; 2-for-4, 1 RBI
Stat Leaders - Augusta
Arabel Linkletter; 1-for-3, 1 RBI, BB
Natalie Gilman; 1-for-3, 1 RBI, BB
Addison McCormick; 1-for-3, 1 RBI
In the Circle - Farmington
Emma DeBoer (W, 4-6); 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Lisa Truchin; 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
In the Circle - Augusta
Shannon Parsons (L, 12-5); 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Addison McCormick; 2.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
UP NEXT
The Beavers will wrap up regular season action on Saturday with a NAC doubleheader at home against Thomas College. First pitch of game one is set for 12:00 PM.
