On a blustery Saturday afternoon at UMaine’s Mike Kessock Field, the University of Maine softball team earned a 2-0 win over conference rival Stony Brook University behind senior pitcher Beth Spoehr’s complete shutout game. UMaine went on to loose both games of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon to drop two out of three in the series.
The Black Bears — who were just 2-7-1 in their last 10 games against the Seawolves before Saturday’s victory — drop to 7-34 on the season and 3-9 against America East competition.
Stony Brook’s record improves to 25-19 overall, 7-5 in conference, after mustering only four total base runners against Spoehr on Saturday.
Spoehr earns her fourth win of the season after allowing just three hits and a walk to go along with two strikeouts in seven innings. Stony Brook junior starter Christine Lucido, who entered Saturday afternoon with a league-leading 1.78 ERA, moves to 10-2 on the year after surrendering two earned runs on five hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings of work in the loss.
UMaine head coach Lynn Coutts said she was happy with her team’s play, both at the plate and on the field on Saturday. This is a good sign for a Black Bears squad that currently sits in sixth place in the seven-team America East.
“All our pitches were working, we kept them off balance, [and] the defense played very well,” she said. “Offensively, we got some runners on, finally moved them and scored some runners. It’s what we’ve been trying to do all year and to get a win off Stony Brook is pretty good.”
The Seawolves are just one of the teams UMaine is looking up at in the standings entering the weekend. Coutts said performing well against them in this three-game series is important, in terms of building momentum, as they move through the conference schedule.
“We’re pretty much chasing everybody right now,” Coutts said. “When you look at us, we do not look like a team that’s won seven games. So it’s been a little frustrating on that part, but the kids never give up and as you see they’re resilient and they keep going, and they earned this one [today].”
The game remained scoreless in the early stages with Lucido and Spoehr allowing just one hit each through two innings.
UMaine broke the scoring drought in the bottom of the third on a single through the right side by junior third baseman Jean Stevens. Sophomore catcher EmJ Fogel reached first base on a fielder’s choice, advanced to second with a sacrifice bunt by sophomore second baseman Kristen Koslosky, then advanced to third on a wild pitch by Lucido. Stevens’ 31st RBI of the season brought Fogel home to give the Black Bears the 1-0 advantage heading into the fourth inning.
UMaine would stretch the lead to two in the bottom of the fourth, after Spoehr set the Seawolves down in order in the top half.
Junior left fielder Hannah Hill lined a double to deep left field to begin the inning before moving to third on a groundout to second by sophomore right fielder Jessica Burk. Freshman shortstop Makaila Kowalsky worked a five-pitch walk to set the table for sophomore designated hitter Katlin Norton, but only Hill would score on Norton’s groundout to second to make it 2-0.
To end the fourth inning, Freshman pitcher Jane Sallen managed to get the third out to keep Stony Brook within striking distance after replacing Lucido following Hill’s RBI groundout. A lone walk in the bottom of the sixth would be Sallen’s lone blemish on the day as she held the Black Bears hitless the rest of the way.
The Seawolves’ best chance to ruin Spoehr’s shutout bid came in the top of the fifth inning after sophomore right fielder Bria Green led off with a double to left-center field. She reached third on a sacrifice bunt by junior left fielder Jessica Zeilman but would get no farther after Spoehr forced two consecutive pop outs to finish the inning unscathed. Green’s 2-3 effort was the lone bright spot for what was a mostly silent effort by the Stony Brook offense.
“She just hit her spots,” Coutts said when asked about Spoehr’s performance in the circle on Saturday. “If she can hit those spots — any time pitchers can hit their spots and have that kind of control that she did — you’re going to be successful, so she did a great job.”
Spoehr would give up a slap single through the middle by junior third baseman Olivia Mintun in the sixth inning and a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh to junior first baseman Nicole Hagerty, but neither resulted in scoring threats. Koslosky, Kowalsky and senior first baseman Hilary Kane executed a 4-6-3 double play for the final outs of the game after Spoehr induced another grounder to second base.
“I was just relaxed,” Spoehr said of her performance on Saturday. “I was excited to play at home. It was a beautiful day out, and I just was really focused on keeping the ball off the plate and right on the corners. My defense played really well.”
Big 5th Inning Leads Seawolves to 4-2 Win
UMaine junior third baseman Jean Stevens’ 12th home run of the year was not enough, as Stony Brook took game one of the doubleheader, 4-2.
The Seawolves jumped out to an early lead after a leadoff single by junior shortstop Jessica Combs in the top of the first inning. A bloop single into shallow right field by junior first baseman Nicole Hagerty allowed Combs to score from first to make the score 1-0. The Black Bears mustered two hits in the bottom half but could not push any runs across.
The score remained that way until the top of the fifth. Neither offensive player could get much generated against Cukrov and UMaine junior starting pitcher Hannah Hill through the next three innings.
Stony Brook junior catcher Nicole Sheiferstein began the fifth inning with an infield single before advancing to second on a passed ball. Freshman designated player Alexandra Pisciotta brought her home with an RBI-double a batter later and would move to third on an infield single by Combs. Junior third baseman Olivia Mintun would load the bases after reaching on a bunt before Giosia ripped a two-run double to right field to score Pisciotta and Combs to extend Stony Brook’s lead to four.
Bogdanovich replaced Hill after Giosia’s double made it 4-0. Hill would be hit with the loss after allowing three earned runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings of work for the Black Bears.
The score would remain 4-0 until the bottom of the sixth. Both Cukrov and Bogdanovich breezed through the next two half-innings.
Stevens’ two-run blast to left field in the bottom of the sixth broke up Cukrov’s shutout bid after sophomore center fielder Stephanie Wood walked to begin the frame. Stevens went 2-3 in game one to go along with two RBI and a run scored.
Cukrov would shut the door the rest of the way to earn the 4-2 win for the Seawolves. She allowed two earned runs on four hits to go along with two walks and seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings in game one. Bogdanovich would earn a no decision after allowing just one hit in 3.0 innings of relief for the Black Bears.
Pisciotta and Combs combined to go 4-7 with three runs scored for the Seawolves in game one.
Seawolves Take Series Rubber Match 3-2 in Extras
Green went 4-6 with two RBI and freshman pitcher Jane Sallen threw 11.2 scoreless innings in relief as Stony Brook outlasts the Black Bears in 15 innings by a score of 3-2.
UMaine’s offense struck for three hits in the bottom of the first to kick things off in game two, but she could only push one across to take the early 1-0 lead. The runs came after sophomore catcher EmJ Fogel lead off with a double down the first baseline to begin the frame. She was pushed to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore second baseman Kristen Koslosky before a single by senior first baseman Hilary Kane brought her home for the first run of the game.
UMaine senior starting pitcher Beth Spoehr was handed the ball again in game two on Sunday following her 2-0 shutout win the day before. Spoehr would allow two earned runs on six hits, one walk and two strikeouts in 5.1 innings to earn a no decision for the Black Bears on Sunday.
Cukrov would get the start once again in game two for Stony Brook. She would be replaced by Sallen in the fourth inning after UMaine freshman shortstop Makaila Kowalsky and sophomore designated player Katlin Norton reached on a walk and a single to left, respectively, with one gone in the inning. Cukrov would earn a no decision after allowing one earned run on five hits and striking out one in 3.1 innings in the circle.
Stony Brook would tie the game at one with two outs in the top of the fourth inning after a double down the third baseline by Hagerty kept the inning alive. Green would bring Hagerty home on an infield hit one batter later, Spoehr’s first run allowed in 10.2 innings pitched.
UMaine would retake the lead after two Stony Brook errors in the top of the fifth inning. Junior pitcher Kylie Sparks pinched a run for Stevens after she reached on a fielder’s choice. A grounder back to Sallen by sophomore first baseman Nikki Byron, who replaced Kane in the field in the fourth, moved Sparks to second. A throwing error by Combs on a ground ball in the hole by UMaine sophomore right fielder Jessica Burk allowed Sparks to score to make it 2-1 in favor of the Black Bears.
Spoehr was replaced by Bogdanovich with one out in the top of the sixth after Giosia led off with a double to left field. An RBI double by Green two batters later tied the game at two. Bogdanovich would get the Black Bears out of the inning still tied after Green was doubled up at second on a pop out to short by sophomore left fielder Jessica Zeilman.
Bogdanovich was eventually hit with the loss, despite allowing just one earned run on eight hits and a walk in 9.2 innings of work in game two.
Sallen and Bogdanovich kept both offenses quiet until the top of the 15th.
Giosia began the inning with a single to left-center field before being moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hagerty. She would score on another RBI double by Green to deep left to make it 3-2. Sallen would hold UMaine in the bottom half to secure the victory for the Seawolves.
Sallen earned the win, after not allowing an earned run on three hits and striking out seven in 11.2 innings on Sunday. The freshman pitched 14 total scoreless innings in the series against the Black Bears.
Kane finishes 2-2 with an RBI in game two for UMaine. Giosia went 4-7 with a double and two runs scored while Green finishes 4-6 with two doubles and three RBIs in game two to lead the Seawolves.
Stony Brook takes on conference rival Binghamton University in a three-game set starting April 27. UMaine begins their own three-game series against an America East foe, when they take on Boston University the same day.