Double Down, PSU Softball Sweeps Southern Maine

Plymouth, NH -- Bekah Jackson (junior; Nashua, NH) had 6 RBIs in two games, and the Panthers got strong pitching performances from both Ali Keith (senior; Northfield, NH) and Nora Galvin (junior; Windham, NH) to take both games of their Little East Conference double-header with the Univeristy of Southern Maine.

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Game 1: PSU - 4 USM - 2

Plymouth jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs, including a Calli DeGrace (senior; Plymouth, NH) homerun, in the third inning, and Ali Keith went the distance, pitching seven strong innings to give the Panthers the win in the opening game of their double-header versus the Huskies of Southern Maine.

After two quiet innings, the Panthers bats came alive in the bottom of the third. Julia Royer (freshman; Pawcatuck, CT) got things started with a lead-off single. Two outs later Jackson drove her in with a single of her own to go up 1-0. DeGrace followed with a homerun to left and in the blink of an eye, Plymouth had a 3-0 lead.

The Panthers weren't done. They came back in the bottom of the fourth. Sam Hebert (junior; Manchester, NH) led off the inning with a double. Vanessa Przybylo (freshman; Queensbury, NY) reached on an error and Jackie Digman (junior; Burlington, MA) followed with a walk to load the bases. Royer drove in a run with a RBI single to go up 4-0. A double-play ended hope of a Plymouth rally and the Panther went into the fifth up four runs.

That's all Keith needed. She held Southern Maine scoreless until the seventh, and after giving up two runs in the final inning, Keith got the final batter to groundout weakly back to her to get the last out and seal the win. Keith went seven innings with no strikeouts, one walk, while allowing seven hits and two earned runs. DeGrace had the big blow, going 1-for-3 with the two-run homerun. Royer went 2-for-2 with a run scored and a RBI, and Jackson chipped in going 1-for3 with a steal, run scored, and a RBI.

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Game 2: PSU - 12 USM - 0 (5 innings)

Plymouth wasted little time, putting up 12 runs in the first three innings, and Galvin held the Huskies scoreless to end this game in five innings and finish the back half of their double-header, giving the Panthers two key LEC wins.

The Panthers scored two in the first, one, on a Taylor Mancini (junior; Gavensvoort, NY) ground-out, and the other on a Hebert RBI single.  The bats stayed hot in the second. After a run scored on an error to put Plymouth up 3-0, Jackson hit a RBI double to left. After a DeGrace hit put runners on third and second, Mancini singled up the middle to score Jackson and Digman and Plymouth had blown the game open, going into the third up 6-0.

They doubled their score in the third. A single, double, and walk loaded the bases for Jackson, who cleared them with a grandslam to go up 10-0 with nobody out in the third. Manicni added another with a RBI single and Hebert double to center to plate Mancini to go up 12-0.

Galvin didn't need 12 runs to work with in this one. She went all five innings allowing only three hits and two walks. The Huskies didn't score and Galvin struck-out 9 out of the 20 batters she faced. Jackson had the big game at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, grandslam, three runs scored, and five RBIs. DeGrace went 3-for-3. Mancini went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, and Hebert chipped in going 2-for-3 with a RBI.