Orono, Maine --
Kristen Niland's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth gave the University of Maine softball team (16-18) a 5-4 walk-off victory over visiting UMass Lowell (18-19. 9-5 America East) on Thursday evening at Kessock Field. The win moves Maine to 10-1 in America East play as the Black Bears, who stretch their winning streak to seven-straight, remain at the top of the league standings.
Rachel Carlson and Niland each recorded a pair of hits and scored a run to help lead the UMaine offense. Six other Black Bears recorded hits as Maine held a slight 10-9 advantage in the hits category.
Molly Flowers entered the game in relief and picked up the win after tossing 4.0 innings of shutout ball while scattering three hits and fanning a pair.
Erin Bogdanovich went 4.0 innings in the start, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits with a strikeout.
Maine struck first with a run in the bottom of the first. Carlson, who began the rally with an infield single, advanced to second on a wild pitch before reaching third on a passed ball. Carlson came in to score after
Rachel Harvey's attempted steal drew a throwing error.
The River Hawks were quick to knot the score, answering with a run in the top of the second. With two away in the inning, Tori Alcorn dropped a single to left. Emily O'Brien hit third and came home to score after the throw in from left was mishandled.
The Black Bears regained the lead with a three-run bottom of the second.
Back-to-back singles from Niland and
Chloe Douglass started the second inning action before
Laurine German's double plated Niland. Douglass came around to on
Erika Leonard's RBI single through the left side. Maine loaded the bases before Harvey singled to the gap in right center, bringing in German and extending Maine's lead to 4-1.
UMass Lowell once again knotted the score after plating three runs in the fifth. A pair of singles began the inning before Alisha Welch dropped a single into left. The ball skipped past the outfielder, allowing a pair of runs to score. UMass Lowell later tied the game when Welch came in on a sacrifice fly to right by Courtney Cashman.
Neither team would plate a run through the seventh as the game moved into extra frames.
With two out in the bottom of the eighth,
Meghan Royle ripped a sharp single to third. The ball bounced off the extended glove of the third baseman and into foul ground, allowing Royle to advance to second.
Emily Gilmore would replace Royle on the bases and soon score after Niland scorched a ball down the first baseline. The hit got away from the fielder, allowing Gilmore to round third and score the game winning run.
Maine returns to action on Saturday as it travels to Binghamton for a big league showdown. The league-leading Black Bears take on second place Binghamton in a doubleheader on April 29 at noon before closing the three-game set on Sunday, also at noon.
-UMaine-
