BDN FILE PHOTOSTONY BROOK, New York — University of Maine ace right-hander Alexis Bogdanovich allowed only three hits on Friday, but Stony Brook parlayed them into the only runs of the game to post a 2-0 victory in the first round of the America East Softball Championship at University Field.
The fourth-seeded Black Bears (21-21) will try to stay alive in the four-team, double-elimination tournament when they face No. 2 Albany. The Great Danes (30-17) dropped a 5-3 decision to No. 3 Binghamton in Thursday’s other first-round contest.
Top seed Stony Brook (29-15) and the Bearcats (21-18) square off Friday at 11 a.m.
Bogdanovich (14-8), who on Wednesday was named the America East Pitcher of the year, fired a three-hitter on Thursday with four strikeouts and gave up only one earned run while walking one. She threw 95 pitches.
However, coach Lynn Coutts’ UMaine team was not able to scratch out any runs despite posting seven hits against Seawolves ace Allison Cukrov (13-4), who fanned eight and walked four while throwing 146 pitches.
Erika Leonard doubled and singled to pace UMaine, while Janelle Bouchard provided two singles.
Shayla Giosia hit an RBI single to lead Stony Brook.
The Seawolves scored both of their runs in the sixth inning. Alexandra Pisciotta led off with a single to right field and moved up on Chelsea Evans’ sacrifice bunt.
One out later, Giosia plated the run with a single to right and advanced on the throw home. She scored on a fielding error.
UMaine had several scoring threats, getting runners on first and second with one out or less on four separate occasions, and three times advancing runners to second and third — only to come up empty.
The Bears’ best threat came in the sixth when EmJ Fogel drew a leadoff walk and Bouchard singled. They moved up on Nikki Byron’s sacrifice, but Cukrov induced Kristen Koslosky to pop up and struck out pinch-hitter Rachel Harvey.