PLYMOUTH – The Plymouth State University softball team celebrated Senior Day in grand fashion at D&M Park, sweeping University of Massachusetts Boston, 10-1 and 5-0, Saturday afternoon in a Little East Conference doubleheader.
Plymouth State President Dr. Donald Wharton greeted senior captains Jess Fortin and Rose Eaton , who are celebrating their final regular season home games. The Plymouth State University softball team kept their tradition alive, giving flowers to the graduating seniors.
The Panthers took the field in the first motivated and energetic. With one out, the Beacon’s freshman Jenn Santoro allowed a double to freshman Rachel Pothier. After striking freshman Heather Bartolo with a pitch, Santoro loaded the bases with a walk. With the next batter, Santoro’s pitch would go wild; allowing Pothier to come home for the Panthers’ first run of the day. After a sacrifice fly from sophomore Kristi Curry and another wild pitch, the Panthers gained the quick 3-0 lead.
The Panthers continued their assault into the next inning after Santoro got into a hole early, giving the leadoff walk, two singles and another Panther’s run. With another bases loaded opportunity for the Panthers, freshman Nikki Johnson came to the mound in relief for the Beacons. Johnson gave up gave up a flyout before walking the next batter, bringing in another run for PSU to make it 5-0. After sophomore Devin Caswell grounded into a fielder’s choice, a throwing error on Beacons’ catcher Catie O’Reilly brought in two more Panther runs and a commanding 7-0 lead.
The Beacon’s responded in the third inning after Eaton gave up a leadoff bunt before issuing a single. After advancing both runners on a passed ball, a sacrifice fly from sophomore Katherine Wall scored the Beacon’s first run of the game.
Entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers looked to end the game early. After committing the first two outs of the inning, sophomore Kristi Curry walked and Eaton reached base on an error. That set the stage for freshman Kristen Abbott crushed a three-run home run, her first home run of her career, pulling the Panthers ahead 10-1, ending the game on the mercy rule.
Eaton picked up the victory on the mound, allowing just two hits and one unearned run. Abbott reached base in all three plate appearances with two hits and a walk. Senior Jess Fortin went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Confident and cheerful, the Panthers entered game two looking for the sweep. In the Panthers’ half of the first, freshman Leanne Barry led off with a single. After a hit from Devin Caswell and an error on the third basemen, the Panthers earned themselves the 1-0 lead.
The Panthers weren’t done flexing their muscles. In the second inning, after freshman Nikki Johnson gave up a walk and two singles, the Panthers had themselves a bases-loaded opportunity. Rachel Pothier, looking to earn the Panthers some insurance runs, hit an outfield single. After a throwing error on the Beacons, Pothier cleared the bases with three RBI’s and the 4-0 lead. The Panthers scored once more in the third inning, before freshman Courtney MacFarland put the lights out on the Beacons.
MacFarland surrendered seven hits and a walk en route to her second shutout, lowering her earned run average to a team-leading 2.13. Freshman Leanne Barry finished the second game with two hits and two runs scored for the Panthers, while freshman Rachel Pothier also had two hits, including a two-run single.
Plymouth State received one last opportunity to reach the Little East tourney with a doubleheader against Eastern Connecticut on Sunday, but fell 6-1 and 6-0 to the Warriors. The Panthers finish the 2006 season at 3-11 in the LEC and 8-25 overall.