ORONO, Maine — Six seniors will play their final games at Kessock Field for the University of Maine softball team on Saturday and Sunday and the Black Bears have a golden opportunity to enhance their America East playoff hopes.
Maine, 16-17 overall and 5-4 in America East, will entertain a Hartford team (3-37, 0-11 AE) that has won just two of its last 34 games.
Maine and Harford play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon and a single game at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Stony Brook, which took two of three from Maine in Orono last weekend, leads the league with a 9-2 mark. UMBC is 7-2, Albany is 6-3 and Binghamton is half a game behind Maine at 5-5.
UMass Lowell is 4-9 but is not eligible for the postseason tournament until 2018, when it completes its four-year probationary period.
The top four teams qualify for the double-elimination America East tournament.
Hartford has suffered through losing streaks of 18 and 11 games this season under first-year coach Sarah Kalka.
After this weekend, Maine will have five league games remaining.
The Black Bears play a makeup doubleheader against UMBC at Stony Brook on Wednesday before visiting Binghamton for a three-game set on May 1 and 2.
UMaine coach Lynn Coutts knows her team is heavily favored over the Hawks and that a sweep not only could move them up the standings, but possibly put them in contention for the conference title.
“We definitely need wins. I know it’s a cliche but we’re going to take them one game at a time and approach it like any other game,” Coutts said. “We have to go out and do our jobs.”
Coutts said the six seniors have been special since five of them were freshmen when she took over. Alexis Bogdanovich transferred from Saint Anselm College (New Hampshire) and has pitched for three seasons at Maine.
EmJ Fogel, Jessica Burk, Nikki Byron, Kristen Koslosky and Stephanie Wood are the five seniors who have spent all four seasons at Maine.
“Even though they didn’t know who the coach was going to be, they stayed,” said Coutts. “They have been great student-athletes, they have been respectful and they have worked hard. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. And they have led the team.”
Coutts is looking for more offensive production after her Black Bears managed just five runs and 11 hits in the three games against Stony Brook.
Fogel (.333, 20 runs batted in), Erica Leonard (.309-3 home runs-16) and Felicia Lennon (.308-2-14) have paced Maine’s attack and Bogdanovich (10-5, 1.85 earned run average) has been their pitching ace.
Margaret Betz (.279) and Jamie Soles (.268, 13 RBIs) have led the Hawks.
Saturday is Friends of Jaclyn Day Foundation Day. The foundation works to improve the quality of life for children battling brain tumors and other cancers.
Tripp Jackson Murray, who is battling a brain tumor, will have his family on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.