Softball Wins Three, Loses One Over the Weekend

The PSU Softball team played back-to-back doubleheaders this weekend, going three-for-four over the weekend. In their home opener on Saturday, the Panthers swept UMass Boston, not letting the Beacons cross home plate once during either game. On Sunday, they upended Rhode Island College in the first game of their makeup doubleheader in Providence, but dropped the second game to the Anchorwomen.

In the opener on Saturday, the Panthers kicked off the game by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first. The first run was driven in on a double from junior Nicole Abreu (Hudson, N.H.) and was closely followed by a three-run homer from freshman Abrie Davis (Amherst, N.H.). This gave PSU a 4-0 lead.

Plymouth tacked on two more in the following inning, starting with a home run from freshman Nina Murray (Saugus, M.A.), her first of the season. Sophomore Katie Kennard (Concord, N.H.) added a RBI single soon after. This brought the score to 6-0 and concluded the scoring action for the game.

Senior pitcher Whitney Roberts took the win for PSU, throwing a full game with just seven hits against and one strikeout.

The second game was scoreless until the bottom of the third, when sophomore Emma Rhodes (Rochester, N.H.) connected with a RBI single and Kennard hit a two-RBI double to give Plymouth the 3-0 advantage. The Panther bats exploded again in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Rachel Morrissey (Salem, N.H.) hit a RBI single and Kennard followed with a three-run homer. Davis drove in the final run with a RBI single, ending the game after five innings. The final score was 8-0.

Freshman Jessica Pietersen (Norton, M.A.) pitched the full five innings and took the win, allowing only three hits and one walk.

In the opener at RIC on Sunday, the action at the plate was all Panthers until the bottom of the fourth inning. The first run of the game was scored in the top of the first by freshman Kim Leiter (Manchester, N.H.) on a defensive error by the Anchormen. The following inning, Rhodes drove in a runner with a RBI triple and Leiter popped up a sacrifice fly to bring Rhodes to home. This brought PSU’s lead to 3-0.

The Panthers continued the scoring action for the next two innings, with a RBI from Sam Madore (Bristol, C.T.) in the third, a RBI single from Abreu, and one-run double from Davis in the fourth. This brought the lead to 6-0. RIC answered in the bottom of the fourth, with a two-run triple from sophomore Lauren Duvall. Junior Kaitlyn McCaughey followed with a RBI single and later scored on a Panther throwing error, bringing the score to 6-4.

Plymouth scored one more time in the top of the fifth, with a RBI single from Leiter. RIC attempted to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a one-run single from sophomore Sarah Molin, but it would not be enough. The final score was 7-5. Roberts took the win on the mound for PSU, giving up just four earned runs on ten hits and tossing five strikeouts.          

In the nightcap at RIC on Sunday, the Panthers were the first to score once again, with a RBI single from Abreu. The Anchorwomen answered in their next at-bat with a RBI double from Duvall and a RBI groundout from McCaughey. They scored again in the bottom of the third with a one-run single by junior Tori Lussier, bringing their lead to 3-1. The Panthers tied it up in the top of the fourth with a two-run homer by freshman Taylor Wood (Londonderry, N.H.).

RIC pulled ahead once again at the bottom of the inning with a run scored on a wild pitch and a RBI single from senior Justina Thoma. PSU was unable to score in the following two innings, and the Anchormen pounded out six runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early. The final score was 11-3.

Pietersen took the loss for Plymouth, tossing just over three innings and allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out two.

After the weekend, the Panthers improve to 11-14 (6-3 LEC). They play again Monday at UMass Dartmouth for a makeup game.