For many students, Spring Break is a time to relax, but the Plymouth State softball team did not have much time to rest. The Lady Panthers traveled to Clermont, Florida where they played eight games, including their season opener.
The Lady Panthers left for Florida with a Little East Conference (LEC) preseason ranking of fourth. The LEC coaches determine the polls. Last season, the Lady Panthers softball team ended the season with a winning record, 25-17, overall. They entered the Little East Tournament as the second seed. The tournament is made up of three-game series. The Panthers were able to defeat the fifth-seeded Rhode Island College in the first game, but were upset in their next two games, knocking Plymouth out of the tournament.
The team lost three seniors at the end of last season, but senior Nora Galvin (Windham, N.H.) is a returning co-captain looking to lead team with senior co-captain Jackie Digman (Burlington, MA). The Panthers look to continue to improve both on the field and at-bat in the upcoming season. The softball season began during the week of spring break when the Panthers traveled to Clermont, Florida.
On Mon., Mar. 17 the Lady Panthers were defeated by Bowdoin College, 3-1, in their first game. Senior Nora Galvin (Windham, N.H.) suffered the loss, pitching six innings and allowing three runs on six hits, striking out five. PSU out-hit Bowdoin, 8-6, but the timely hitting wasn’t there. They left ten runners on base, including bases loaded in the first and seventh innings.
Later in the day, Plymouth started a game against Endicott College, but the game was cut short in the fourth inning due to rain. At the end of the day, the Gulls led, 7-1. The game continued Thursday with a rally by the Panthers, but the Gulls held onto the win, 9-6.
On Tues., Mar. 18, Plymouth was defeated by Hamilton College, 3-2, under the lights in a rain-delayed game. The Panthers out-hit their opponents, 8-3, but still couldn’t come up with a victory. Freshman Callia Abbott (Atco, N.J.) recorded the loss, giving up only two hits and five walks in five innings, and striking out four.
The Panthers returned to the field Wed., Mar. 19 in a game against the defending National Champion Tufts University. The Panthers were nearly shut out, if not for hits from senior Bekah Jackson (Nashua, N.H.) and freshman Masha Lange (Danville, N.H.). Galvin took the loss for the Panthers, allowing six hit and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings
Plymouth recorded the first win of the season on Thurs., Mar. 20 against Wesleyan College. Galvin only allowed three hits and two walks to give the Panthers a 9-0 win. The Panthers had ten hits, scoring one run in the first inning and four-run innings in both the second and fifth to seal the victory. Sophomore Julia Royer (Pawcatuck, CT) contributed two of the hits, including a two-run double in the fifth inning. Junior Cynthia Barata (New Fairfield, CT) added another two-run double in the fifth. Galvin recorded the win in the pitcher’s circle.
The Panthers were quiet in the first five innings, in their second game Thursday, against Ramapo. Royer put an end to the perfect game with two outs in the fifth inning with a single up the middle, but PSU already suffered from a 5-0 deficit. Sophomore Shirley Butterfield (Atkinson, N.H.) and senior Taylor Mancini (Gansevoort, N.Y.) each had one RBI in the effort. Ramapo defeated Plymouth, 7-3.
On the final day of the Dot Richardson Spring Games, (Fri., Mar. 21) the Panthers split two games. In the first game of the day, Plymouth was defeated by Springfield College, 6-2. PSU had only two singles in the first four innings, but trailed only 1-0. Springfield scored three runs in the fifth inning and two in the sixth to put the game away. Plymouth was able get on the board with two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth on a hit from freshman Katie Kennard (Concord, N.H.).
The Lady Panthers ended the week with a win against McDaniel College, 7-2. Jackson reached base in all four at-bat appearances with a triple, two singles, and a walk to lead the Panthers offense. Lange and senior Sam Hebert (Manchester, N.H.) drove in two runs each, while Lange and Digman recorded two hits each. Junior Whitney Roberts (Chocorua, N.H.) recorded the win for Plymouth with a complete-game effort, allowing only two unearned runs on four hits and two walks, striking one out.
Plymouth State, currently 2-6, returned to the field Thurs., Mar. 27, with a doubleheader at Salem State University, and then will play Western Connecticut State University on Sat., Mar. 29.