STONY BROOK, New York — The University of Maine’s softball season came to an end after Binghamton blanked the Black Bears 8-0 in an elimination game at the America East Tournament Friday. The game went six innings due to the eight-run rule.
Maine had staved off elimination earlier in the day with a 10-7 victory over Albany.
In the nightcap, Jessica Rutherford’s three-run double highlighted a four-run second inning that gave the Bearcats a 5-0 lead.
Binghamton is now 22-19 overall, 2-1 in the tournament, and will face top seed Stony Brook in the championship round on Saturday. Stony Brook is 30-15 overall, 2-0 in the tournament.
Maine wound up 22-22.
Sarah Miller and Cara Martin scattered eight hits in combining for the shutout.
Lisa Cadogan and Gabby Bracchi each had three hits for the winners and Cadogan and Tia Smith drove in a pair of runs apiece.
Erika Leonard, Felicia Lennon, Nikki Byron and Rachel Carlson had two singles apiece for Maine.
Erin Bogdanovich absorbed the loss.
In the first game, Erika Leonard homered, tripled and singled and drove in three runs to lead the Black Bears past Albany.
Leonard’s solo homer, Carlson’s run-scoring single and EmJ Fogel’s sacrifice fly keyed a six-run fourth-inning rally that built a 10-2 lead and the Bears held on to stay alive.
Jessica Burk had three singles and an RBI for Maine and Alexis Bogdanovich picked up her 15th win after relieving sister Erin in the fourth inning. Alexis Bogdanovich was touched for six hits and five runs in 3 ⅔ innings but Annie Kennedy came on to record the final out and earn her third save.
Jess Tate and Lindsey Haskell hit back-to-back homers in the seventh for Albany, which finished at 30-18.
Tate, Vicky McFarland, Maggie Cocks and Elizabeth Snow had two hits each for the Great Danes.
Husson wins NCAA opener
At Norton, Massachusetts, senior righty Kayla Merrill pitched a complete-game five-hitter for her fifth shutout of the season as the Husson University softball team downed Eastern Connecticut State University to advance to Saturday’s 11 a.m. winners bracket game in the NCAA Division III regional against host Wheaton College.
Husson is now 27-11 while Wheaton College, a 4-1 winner over Johnson and Wales, is 31-8.
It was Husson’s first win in four games against Eastern Connecticut State including two losses in the regionals.
Eastern Connecticut State (29-7-1) had its six-game winning streak snapped and will play an elimination game on Saturday at 1:30 against Johnson and Wales.
Merrill struck out six and didn’t walk anybody while improving to 16-4.
She retired the final eight hitters she faced.
Casey Lopes had three hits, including a double, for the Eagles. Chelsea Brennan homered and singled and Sami Schultz drove in three runs with a two-run double and sacrifice fly.
Deb Colpitts and Lyndsay Merrill, Kayla’s sister, each doubled and drove in a run.
Shannon Martin doubled for Eastern Connecticut State.