Orono, Maine -- The top two America East softball seeds meet this weekend for a three-game set when the University of Maine (16-18, 10-1 America East) travels to take on Binghamton (18-21, 8-2 AE).
The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 29 at 1 p.m. before a single game finale, set for Sunday, April 30, at 11 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT FOR MAINE:
The Black Bears were victorious in walk-off style as they defeated UMass Lowell, 5-4, on Thursday evening. The win, which moved Maine to a perfect 4-0 at home, was its third walk-off win in its last seven games.
Kristen Niland's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth brought in pinch runner
Emily Gilmore, giving Maine its 10th conference victory of the season.
Rachel Carlson and Niland each recorded a pair of hits and scored a run in the win.
Molly Flowers picked up her sixth victory after going 4.0 shutout innings in relief, scattering three hits and striking out two.
A LOOK AT THE BLACK BEARS:
Rachel Carlson, who has reached base safely in each of Maine's last 15 games, leads the way with a .364 average, featuring team-highs in hits (39) and stolen bases (12). Carlson currently ranks fifth among league leaders in hitting.
Rachel Harvey, currently riding a team-leading and team season-high 13 game hit streak, is batting .340 with 19 RBI, 17 runs and 36 hits and sits 11th in the league in hitting. In league play, Harvey is batting .447 with 17 hits and 11 RBI.
Alyssa Derrick, who leads the America East with 12 home runs, has raised her average to .284 and currently is Maine's leader with 29 RBI and 66 total bases. Derrick is hitting an impressive .459 against conference opponents with five home runs, 15 RBI and seven runs.
Meghan Royle is chipping in a .293 mark with 10 runs and 14 RBI while
Erika Leonard (.265) is Maine's leader in runs scored at 22 to go along with 20 RBI.
Annie Kennedy is 5-3 in the circle with a 3.90 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 66.1 innings.
Erin Bogdanovich also has five wins and features a 4.45 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 78.2 innings.
Molly Flowers, Maine's leader in strikeouts (55) is 6-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 67.0 innings.
A LOOK AT BINGHAMTON:
The Bearcats enter the weekend at 18-21 and 8-2 in the league and are currently riding a two game losing skid after a pair of losses at Hofstra on Tuesday. Binghamton has won three in a row in league play after a three-game sweep of Hartford. The Bearcats are hitting .280 with a team ERA of 4.89 and are tops in the America East with a .963 fielding percentage.
Individually, Jessica Rutherford leads the Binghamton offense, ranking third in the league with a .395 mark at the plate. The senior outfielder ranks second in the league with a .661 slugging percentage and sits second in the America East in runs (30), RBIs (38) and total bases (82). Stephanie Bielec is chipping in a .344 mark with 27 runs, 12 stolen bases and ranks fifth in the league in hits (44). Kate Richard, hitting .313, is the top power threat for Binghamton, checking in with eight home runs and a team-high 39 RBI.
Rayn Gibson is 7-5 in the circle with a 3.51 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 79.2 innings. Rozlyn Price has made a team-high 23 appearances with 17 starts. Price is 6-9 with a 4.46 ERA and has fanned 36 over 95.2 innings.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES:
Maine is 27-15 all-time against Binghamton and enter play with a three-game win streak against the Bearcats. In Maine's last trip to Binghamton, the Black Bears defeated Binghamton 3-0 in America East semifinal action. Prior to that meeting, Maine took two of three in a home series during the 2016 season. Over the last 10 outings, Maine is 6-4 against Binghamton. In its last seven games at Binghamton, Maine is 2-5.
-UMaine-
