Middlebury, VT – The Plymouth State softball team gave up early leads in both games, and couldn’t find enough to fight back in either, dropping two games to out-of-conference Middlebury College. The potent Plymouth offensive attack was silenced by Middlebury pitching, scoring just three combined runs in the double-header.
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Game 1: MC – 4 PSU – 2
Whitney Roberts (sophomore; Chocorua, NH) got the start in game one, and was roughed up early, allowing four runs in the first three innings, and Plymoth couldn’t put a comeback together, dropping the first game in Middlebury.
After being down 4-0 for the majority of the game, Plymouth looked to put it together in the top of the sixth. Shannon Murphy (junior; Chester, NH) led off with a double down the right field line. Bekah Jackson (junior; Nashua, NH) followed with a two-run homerun to cut the lead in half, 4-2. That’s as close as they would get, as Middlebury didn’t allow another run the rest of the game.
Roberts was solid after the first three, not allowing another run, and kept Plymouth in the game. Her final line was one strikeout, four walks, while allowing six hits, and four runs in six innings of work. Jackson was strong at the plate going 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
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Game 2: MC – 6 PSU – 1
Middlebury came out and hit Plymouth starter Ali Keith (senior; Northfield, NH) early, striking for four first inning runs to dig a hole that Plymouth couldn’t climb out of.
After the first inning, Plymouth couldn’t string hits together managing just one run in the fourth inning on a Cynthia Barata (sophomore; New Fairfield, CT) RBI single up the middle. That was all Plymouth could put across the plate, and they would drop their second straight, getting swept on their trip to Vermont.
Keith was solid going six innings with one strikeout, two walks, while giving up 10 hits, and 6 runs (4 earned). Barata was 2-for-3 with the RBI.