WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The University of Maine softball dropped a doubleheader at Monmouth on Wednesday afternoon at Monmouth University Softball Park.
 
The Black Bears will be back in action with a single game at Iona tomorrow, March 19.
 
Game 22
Score: Monmouth 3, Maine 2
Stadium: MU Softball Park
How it Happened

• Francesca Guerrera led the game off with a single and then came around to score three batters later on a Kaelyn Larkin single.
• The Black Bears made it 2-0 in the top of the third when Annika Shearer drove in a run with a deep single to center.
• The Hawks used a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to even the game at 2-2 … Monmouth continued to threaten in the frame, loading the bases with one out, but Alysen Rieth got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Monmouth walked it off with an RBI single up the middle.

Game Notes

• Alysen Rieth started for Maine, throwing 6.1 innings while giving up three runs on seven hits … Rieth tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts.
• Francesca Guerrera led Maine with a 2-for-2 and scored one run and added a walk.
• Kaelyn Larkin and Annika Shearer were both 1-for-3 with an RBI … Keira Inman added a hit.

 
Game 23
Score: Monmouth 11, Maine 7
Stadium: MU Softball Park
How it Happened

• The Hawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the home half of the first … the hosts then made it 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth.
• In the top of the fifth, the Black Bears pushed six runs across to take a 6-5 lead … the first three runners reached, with Eviana Robles scoring on an error … then Peyton Archer had a two RBI single followed by a Morgan Pool RBI double before Annika Shearer's RBI single and Kaelyn Larkin's RBI double gave Maine the lead.
• Monmouth tied the game up, 6-6, in the bottom of the fifth and then Maine retook the lead in the top of the sixth, with Pool driving in Maggie Helms.
• In the bottom of the sixth, the Hawks plated five runs to take an 11-7 lead and held off another Maine rally in the top of the seventh.

Game Notes

• Ava Zettlemoyer started, throwing 5.2 innings while giving up 11 runs on 11 hits … Hannah Hipwell threw 0.1 innings of relief.
• Kaelyn Larkin was 3-for-4 with a double while Francesca Guerrera was 2-for-4 … Morgan Pool was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a double … seven different Black Bears had hits on the day.

 
Up Next

• The Black Bears will play a single 2 p.m. game at Iona on Thursday, March 19.