ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine softball team had its hands full with a University of Hartford team that entered Saturday’s doubleheader with an overall record of 3-37 and an 0-11 America East mark.
But the Black Bears, in the midst of an intense battle for a playoff spot, received a pair of victories from ace right-hander Alexis Bogdanovich, the second one coming in relief, and used late-inning rallies to sweep the Hawks 8-0 in six innings and 5-4.
Bogdanovich picked up her third win of the weekend on Sunday when the Bears
earned the series sweep with a 10-0 five-inning victory over the Hawks.
Maine (19-18, 8-4 AE) was clinging to a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s opener before scoring seven two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth to end it via the eight-run rule.
In the nightcap, the Black Bears rallied from a 4-2 deficit with two sixth-inning runs and Nikki Byron’s game-winning, one-out single in seventh.
“They were pretty good. We can’t take anyone lightly,” said Maine sophomore third baseman Shelby Obert of Skowhegan, who had a clutch run-scoring bunt single in the sixth inning of the nightcap. “We just battled (in the second game).”
“We were able to string some important hits together,” said freshman outfielder Erika Leonard, whose solo homer in the fifth inning of the first game broke a scoreless tie before her sixth-inning sacrifice fly in the nightcap tied it 4-4.
In the second game, Byron atoned for a costly throwing error by looping a single into short right field in the seventh.
Senior right fielder Jessica Burk, whose clutch, pinch-hit, two-run double in the sixth inning of the opener gave Bogdanovich some valuable insurance runs, opened the decisive seventh inning rally by drawing a walk.
She was thrown out at second on Felicia Lennon’s sacrifice bunt attempt.
But Lennon stole second and continued to third on catcher Sawyer Fried’s throwing error.
EmJ Fogel walked and stole second before Byron singled.
“Sometimes you make errors and it’s a matter of how you rebound from that,” said Byron. “If you don’t perform at 100 percent on defense, you’d better do something at the plate to help the team. I didn’t feel too much pressure. I was happy I was able to do that for the team.”
Maine had tied it in the sixth on back-to-back singles by Janelle Bouchard and Kristen Koslosky, pinch-hitter Rachel Harvey’s sacrifice bunt, Obert’s perfectly placed RBI bunt single up the first-base line and Leonard’s sacrifice fly to right on a 1-2 pitch.
“It was an outside pitch and I just did what I could with it. I was trying to do my job,” said Leonard.
Maine had taken a 2-0 lead on Faythe Goins’ two-out, two-run double in the fourth before Hartford pushed across four runs off Erin Bogdanovich in the fifth on losing pitcher Alexis Wilkerson’s sharp single to right-center, Byron’s throwing error on Peyton Fisher’s bunt, Jenice Aloyo’s RBI single and freshman shortstop Jamie Soles’ first career homer, a three-run blast to left-center.
Annie Kennedy came on to pitch 2⅔ innings of one-hit shutout ball and Alexis Bogdanovich got the final out in the seventh.
Bouchard doubled and singled for Maine and Aloyo singled twice for Hartford.
In the opener, Alexis Bogdanovich fired a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts and one walk.
The hard-throwing righty threw 67 strikes among her 93 pitches. Just one Hawk advanced beyond first.
“She was incredible. She had speed and movement on the ball. She’s one of the better pitchers we’ve seen,” said Hartford freshman lefty Kelsey Bird, who pitched impressive two-hit, one-run ball through 5⅔ innings.
However, two walks, Burk’s two-run double, another walk, singles by Leonard (RBI) and Rachel Carlson, and Lennon’s grand slam sewed it up.
“She had good movement on the ball, she moved it in and out and she changed speeds,” said Hartford senior first baseman Jackie Kelly.
“I was happy with it,” Bogdanovich said. “My curve and screwball were my go-to pitches. I felt like I threw my best.”
Leonard’s fifth-inning homer to left-center came off a screwball.
“It had been working most of the game but it started to tail in a little too far over the plate. I knew as soon as she hit it (it was gone),” said Bird.
“It was up and a little inside. She missed with it and I took advantage,” said Leonard.
Burk’s important double came off a drop.
“It was inside. I hit my spot but she took it for a ride. It was a real nice hit,” said Bird.
“The team needed a hit and, thankfully, I got a good piece on it,” said Burk. “That took a little pressure off us.”
Lennon and Leonard each homered and singled and combined to drive in six runs while Danielle DeMarco doubled for Hartford.
In Sunday’s game, Bogdanovich gave up just one hit and struck out nine to improve to 13-5.
The Bears got all the runs they needed with a five-run first inning. Fogel doubled home the first two runs, Bouchard blasted a two-run home run and Shelby Obert added an RBI double.
Fogel finished with two hits and three RBIs and Burk added a solo homer in the second inning.