CASTINE, Maine – Maine Maritime won a pair of North Atlantic Conference softball games against Johnson State Saturday. The Mariners won the first game 12-4 and took the second 10-1, both in five innings. Maine Maritime improved to 10-11 overall, 6-4 NAC while the JSC fell to 5-9, 3-5.
The Badgers exploded for four runs in the first inning of game one. Singles by Andrea Williams (Thornburn, Nova Scotia/Nova) and Samantha Pothier (Enosburg, Vt / Enosburg) both plated runs while Emily Comins (Orleans, Vt. / Lake Region) and Emily Himberg (Williston, Vt. / Champlain Valley Union) drew bases loaded walks to give Johnson State the early lead.
Maine Maritime answered with 11 runs in the bottom of the first inning. A Cindy Schultz sacrifice scored Andi Flannery before Leah Jackson launched a three-run homer to left field to even the game at 4-4. Abby Yeo's double scored Erica Taylor, Flannery's triple plated both Yeo and Kelsie Hilton and a Sabrina Keach double scored Schultz and Flannery. Taylor and Hilton both added RBI singles to give MMA an 11-4 lead.
Neither team scored in the next four frames before Jackson ended the game with a walk-off solo shot to centerfield.
Keach paced the MMA offense with three hits and 2 RBI while Flannery, Jackson and Yeo each had two hits. Jackson had a game-high 4 RBI. Five JSC players recorded one hit while Yeo improved to 6-6 from the mound.
The Mariners tacked on five runs in the first two innings of game two to take an early 5-0 lead. An error plated Keach and Flannery in the first before Hayley Rae's triple in the second scored Autumn Jones and Yeo. Rae later scored on a passed ball.
The Badgers scored their lone run on a Pothier sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Maine Maritime added five runs in the fifth. Keach scored Rae with a single before a Taylor double brought home Keach and Schultz. Jackson scored on a passed ball and Rae stroke an RBI single to score Cassandra LaFontaine.
Taylor improved to 4-5 with the win, scattering five hits, striking out three and walking two, in five innings of work. Andrea Williams took the loss and fell to 4-2.
The Badgers will travel to Husson for a 12:00 game tomorrow while the Mariners return to the field hosting Lyndon State Sunday for 10:00 start.