Spring Break Leaves Panthers Winless in Florida

The Women’s Softball team had a challenging start to their season this past week. The Panthers travelled to Clermont, F.L. for their spring break trip, and played 10 games over six days against some of the most talented teams in the country. They were unable to pull off a win and return to Plymouth with a record of 0-10.

The ladies kicked off the week with a pair of games on Sunday, 3/15, against Luther College (Iowa) and Clarkson University (N.Y.). Luther finished at 32-8 last season after losing in the NCAA Regional final and went into the game at 10-0 so far this season. The Panthers managed to drive in only one run to Luther’s nine and fell after six innings. Clarkson was 4-2 going into the game against the Panthers, and managed to hold them to just three hits and keep them without a run, ending the game after five innings with a score of 8-0.

The Panthers opened their second day with a game against the two-time defending national champion, Tufts University (NESCAC). The Panthers were only able to mange one hit against the Jumbo’s senior pitcher Allyson Fournier, which was a lead-off single from freshman Kim Leiter (Manchester, N.H.). Unable to connect with any more, Plymouth fell early to Tufts in the sixth inning, the score 8-0.

In the Panther’s second game on Monday, Bowdoin (a NESCAC school) kicked off the first inning by driving in five runs. PSU answered with three runs over the course of the next seven innings, but were unable to take the lead, falling to Bowdoin 9-3.

The next day, PSU took on Utica in their first game. Utica scored two runs to open the first inning, but the Panthers quickly responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, driven in by hits from junior Nicole Abreu (Hudson, N.H.) and sophomore Callia Abbot (Atco, N.J.). The Panthers connected on only two more hits over the next six innings, but were unable to drive any home. Utica scored three more runs, bringing the final score to 5-3. In the afternoon, PSU took on The College of New Jersey, but were only able to connect on three hits. TCNJ drove six home, beating the Panthers 6-0.

After a break on Wednesday, the Panthers took on another pair of NESCAC teams Thursday, including Tufts once again. In the first game against Trinity College, Plymouth came alive and scored four runs in the first inning off a grand slam from freshman Abrie Davis (Amherst, N.H.), her first home run of the season. Although they would manage three more hits the rest of the game, PSU didn’t cross home plate again. Trinity was able to tie it up with four runs in the third and pull ahead another run in the fifth and two in the seventh, for a final score of 7-4. In the rematch against Tufts, PSU connected on 11 hits with doubles from senior Cynthia Barata (New Fairfield, C.T.), freshman Jessica Pietersen (Norton, M.A.), and freshman Taylor Wood (Londonderry, N.H.). Despite pulling ahead at 3-1 in the top of the sixth inning, the Jumbos rallied with eight runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. Tufts defeated the Panthers by a final of 9-3.

On their final game day in Florida, the Panthers were matched up against Babson College and Hope College (Michigan), but unfortunately came up short in both games. The first game against Babson was a battle of the pitchers, as both Panther senior Whitney Roberts (Chocorua, N.H.) and Babson’s senior Meghan Hayes both threw shutouts for the first four innings. The Panthers were the first to score with two runs at the top of the fifth, but the Beavers slipped by them in the bottom of the sixth with three runs, making the final score 3-2. In their last game of the trip, the Panthers managed to tie the game at three in the bottom of the third after Hope kicked off the game with runs in the first and top of the third. They were unable to hold on, as Hope drove in three runs in both the fifth and six inning to secure the win at 8-2.

The Panthers returned home down 10 and were looking to gain their first victory in a non-conference double-header at Salem State on Thursday, 3/26, but the game has been postponed. Their next game is scheduled for this Saturday, 3/28 in a Little East Conference double-header at RIC.