ORONO, Maine — Junior left-hander Erin Bogdanovich pitched a two-hit gem and junior shortstop Felicia Lennon knocked in the winning run with a fourth-inning double as the University of Maine softball team beat Binghamton 2-1 Sunday in the finale of their three-game America East series at sun-drenched Kessock Field.
South Portland’s Bogdanovich (5-4, 4-0 AE) limited the heavy-hitting Bearcats to two singles while striking out four and walking one. It was her fourth straight win.
She had three-hit the Bearcats 3-0 n the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader after Binghamton won the opener 7-3.
On Sunday, Bogdanovich threw just 74 pitches, including 51 strikes. She induced 12 ground-ball outs thanks to her sinking fastball and drop and retired 18 of the last 19 hitters she faced.
“Basically, everything was working and my catcher (Kennebunk senior Janelle Bouchard) knew what to call at the right times,” said Bogdanovich, who featured a fastball, changeup and drop ball and also mixed in a few rise balls. “My changeup was good today.
“They have a lot of really good hitters so I just tried to keep the ball away (from the middle of the plate) and on the outside corner,” Bogdanovich added.
Binghamton power-hitting senior first baseman Lisa Cadogan said Bogdanovich was one of the better pitchers they’ve faced this year.
“She threw a lot of knuckle changeups which were pretty good. They floated in and were kind of tricky. She also had a low (outside) pitch that was pretty nice too and a curve (inside). And she had very good control,” said Cadogan.
“She did a really good job and their infielders did a better job behind her today,” said Binghamton coach Michelle Burrell.
Maine (17-15, 6-2 AE) made just one error.
Bouchard said Bogdanovich’s changeup was an important pitch for her.
“When you see somebody five or six times, you have to start mixing up your speeds to try to keep them off-balance,” said Bouchard. “That’s what we tried to do today.”
Binghamton (21-12, 7-2 AE) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Cadogan drew a leadoff walk, pinch-runner Bridget Hunt scampered to third when Taylor Chaffee flaired a single into short right field, and she scored on Crysti Eichner’s groundout.
Maine broke through for both runs against Binghamton ace Sarah Miller in the fourth. Bouchard opened the inning by scorching a line-drive single to center and she moved to second on Alyssa Derrick’s grounder to second.
“I knew I needed to get on base to give my teammates a chance to get me home,” said Bouchard.
Rachel Harvey ripped a sharp, ground-ball single to the left and when the ball glanced off Gabby Bracchi’s leg, Bouchard scooted home and Harvey motored to second.
Lennon then lined an opposite-field double to the gap in right-center to score Harvey.
“It was an outside pitch, a curveball. That was (Miller’s) out pitch all day and that was what I was looking for. With two strikes, I had to protect the plate so I took it the other way,” said Lennon, who was playing with a heavy heart after her grandfather passed away on Saturday.
“We told the kids all our effort and energy needed to go to Felicia today and she played great,” said Maine head coach Mike Coutts. “I was really happy for her.”
“I tried to keep the ball outside on them but I may have gotten too much of the plate (in the fourth),” said Miller, who pitched five innings of six-hit, two-run ball with three strikeouts and no walks.
Harvey and Lennon had two hits each for Maine and Derrick had a double as did Lennon.
Chaffee and Griffin McIver singled for Binghamton, which entered the weekend with a .347 batting average.
On Saturday, Bogdanovich struck out five and didn’t walk anyone to earn the Black Bears a split. It was her second consecutive shutout.
Her teammates gave her the only run she was to need in the second when Harvey was hit by a pitch, went to second on Lennon’s single and scored on Kristen Niland’s double.
Maine added two insurance runs in the fourth on Harvey’s base hit, a fielder’s choice, Niland’s RBI triple and Maddie Moore’s sacrifice fly.
Harvey and Niland had two hits apiece for Maine while Jessica Rutherford singled twice for Binghamton and Sydney Harbaugh doubled.
In the opener, Chaffee’s RBI double in the fifth broke a 3-3 tie and Eichner followed with a run-scoring single as Binghamton overcame a 3-1 deficit.
Bouchard’s RBI double in the first inning answered Cadogan’s run-scoring single in the top of the inning and Bouchard’s leadoff double triggered a two-run third that also featured RBI singles by Derrick and Niland.
But Binghamton tied it in the fourth on Bracchi’s RBI single and an ensuing run-producing error.
The Bearcats added two insurance runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Rutherford and Cadogan.
Miller went the distance for the win, allowing nine hits and three runs with five strikeouts and two walks.
Bracchi, Rutherford, Cadogan and Eichner had two hits apiece for Binghamton while Bouchard and Niland had two apiece for Maine and Meghan Royle doubled.