BANGOR, ME
The UMPI Owls softball team continued its North Atlantic Conference schedule with a doubleheader on Monday afternoon at Husson University. The defending conference champion Eagles were ranked nationally last year and hosted an NCAA regional. They returned a solid core of players that were on full display against UMPI.
Game 1: (12-0 Eagles)
How it Happened:
Husson was all gas and no brakes at the start of game one, scoring three in the 1st and five in the 2nd, while blanking the visitors to put the run-rule effect in play after two innings. The Eagles were relentless, scoring four more in the third before UMPI held them off the board in the 4th. That effort wasn't enough to avoid a five-inning game however, as the Owls were shutout in game one as it ended 12-0 Husson.
At the Plate:
The Owls had two hits in game one, one coming from Gracelyn Walsh in the top of the 1st as she singled to left field, and one came from Avery VonKadich in the second inning with a single up the middle. From there, Husson's starter Sky Johnson got in a groove, keeping UMPI out of the hit column the rest of the way.
In the Circle:
Megan Bucholz got the game one nod for UMPI, ,and threw all four innings for the Owls, allowing 11 runs, while striking out a pair of Eagles in the 27 batters she faced.
Game 2: (15-2 Eagles)
How it Happened:
UMPI started off game two in a much different way as they drew first blood in the top of the 1st. Beginning with a Zoe Stewart walk, Gracelyn Walsh reached on catcher's interference. A fielder's choice put runners on the corners, and the Owls put pressure on the Eagles as Sabriana Kauffman stole second. Stewart got a good jump from third and scored on the double steal as UMPI truly manufactured a run making it 1-0.
Husson would answer back however, and unfortunately for UMPI, it'd be in a big way. They scored four runs on three hits, thanks to a three-run inside the park home run from Eagles third baseman Julia Gregoire. The Eagles led 4-1 after one. Husson had an even bigger second inning, bringing seven runs across on seven hits to take a stranglehold on the game.
In the 3rd, UMPI got another one across as Zoe Stewart tripled with two outs into right-center. She'd score on a wild pitch to make it 11-2. Husson scored four more in the third however, as they did all of their damage in both games, in the first three innings. The next inning and a half went scoreless, making it a run-rule 15-2 victory for the home team.
At the Plate:
Zoe Stewart had the one hit for the Owls in the nightcap, the aforementioned triple to right center field that got through to the warning track as Stewart made great time around the bases. Stewart scored both runs for UMPI.
In the Circle:
Megan Bucholz got the start for the second straight game and was chased after 1.2 innings. She struck out two batters and allowed seven earned. Zoe Stewart came on in relief and threw well over her 2.1 innings of work. She allowed three earned runs and struck out a batter of 47 pitches.
Next Up:
The Owls drop to 2-20 overall and 1-5 in NAC play. They will have two more NAC games as part of a four-game weekend with Thomas College to wrap up the regular season. Those games will be home games beginning on May 3rd at 1 and 3pm. Be sure to stay tuned to our schedule page for updates.
