Mansfield, CT-Panther miscues were the story of the day. Five errors in their 8-2 loss against Western Connecticut and three errors in their 9-1 loss against Rhode Island College would be the story of the day, and after two straight losses the Plymouth State softball season was over.
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West Conn – 8 PSU – 2
Western Connecticut scored six unanswered runs, including a four run sixth inning, and the Panthers were only able to put two runs on the board, leading to an 8-2 loss in their second game of the Little East Conference tournament.
Both teams were able to get to the starters early and the game was tied 2-2 after three innings. After Plymouth went down quietly in the top of the fourth, West Conn was able to string things together in the bottom of the fourth. Two Panther errors put runners on first and third. A sac bunt pushed a run across, and the next batter delivered with a RBI single to give West Conn the lead 4-2.
Neither team got anything done in the fifth inning, and after the Panthers went down without a run in the top of the sixth, the wheels came off. Two Panther errors and four West Conn hits led to a four run inning, pushing the West Conn lead to 8-2.
Plymouth couldn’t get any back in the top of the seventh, and they suffered their first loss of the LEC tourney. Nora Galvin (junior; Windham, NH) got the start. She went 5.2 innings with two strikeouts and one walk, while giving up six hits and eight runs (two earned).
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RIC – 9 PSU – 1 (5 innings)
Rhode Island College scored nine runs in a row, and after getting one run in the first, Plymouth couldn’t get another tally on the scoreboard. In a five run blowout, the Panthers’ season was over.
Bekah Jackson (junior; Nashua, NH) led off the game with a triple and scored on a pass ball to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. They wouldn’t score again.
Whitney Roberts (sophomore; Chocorua, NH) got the start for Plymouth. She was chased out in the second inning after giving up four runs, and after two the Panthers were down 4-1. RIC went on to score five more runs, and the game was over after five innings.
A disappointing end to a good year for the softball team, they finished their season with a 25-17 record.