Softball 12-12 as Home Games Loom

Plymouth State University’s softball team-though yet to play a home game-has a 12-12 record and currently sits at the back of the Little East Conference standings. Junior Abrie Davis (Amherst, N.H.) leads the team with nine RBI’s while senior Emma Rhodes (Rochester, N.H.) is batting .382 with six RBI’s of her own. The early season star for the Panthers has been freshman pitcher Caitlyn Miller (Lee, N.H.) who is in the top five of almost all pitching statistical categories in the LEC. Her ERA of 1.76 is good for fourth, she is tied for second with seven wins, and she has notched 42 strikeouts putting her fifth in that category. Davis who led the team in homeruns as a freshman has had a strong resurgence this season with the bat for Plymouth. “This season I’ve really focused on getting the power back in my swing.” Says Davis. “I am also paying a lot of attention to my bat angle with a lot of help from my hitting coach.”

The Panthers traveled to UMass Boston on Wednesday, April 12th. In a game that should have been at D & M Park the Panthers were credited as the home team despite being on the road. They would win game one of the double header thanks to Miller’s first shut out of the season 3-0. The game also saw an RBI each from Rhodes, Cassidy Emerson (Concord, N.H.) and Jen Landers (Berlin, N.H.) In game two despite a tense seventh inning Plymouth would fall by a final score of 4-3.

On Saturday, the 8th the team was the home team on the road once again versus UMass Dartmouth. In game one the Panthers forced extra innings but fell 5-3 in eight innings. They then had a hard time getting the offense going in the second game falling 10-4 and giving the third-place Corsairs the sweep.

Plymouth would be right back on the road the next day to face a non- conference foe in New England College. They would win game one after an extra inning of play 4-3 thanks to a single by Katie Kennard (Concord, N.H.) The Panthers would then take the second game 8-2 with Taylor Wood (Londonderry, N.H.) notching three RBI’s. On Tuesday, the team traveled to Fitchburg State for their third doubleheader in four days. The Panthers won game one with some great hitting by freshman Nora Butler (Tewksbury, Mass.) who went 2-for-4 with two RBI’s in the game. Game two was a pitchers duel in which Plymouth fell by a close 2-1 final. Junior captain Nina Murray says the team is working to break away from their .500 record. “Our team is focusing on bringing the runs in while people are on base and doing our jobs individually to benefit the team as a whole.”

The team will travel to Eastern Connecticut on Saturday. Their first home game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25th against Keene State College.