Junior infielder Faythe Goins belted her second pinch-hit, three-run homer of the season, highlighting a four-run rally in the fourth inning that supplied the University of Maine softball team with a 4-1 America East victory over the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Friday afternoon at Catonsville, Maryland.
It was the fifth straight win and 11th in their last 12 games for the league-leading Black Bears, who improved to 14-18 overall, 8-1 in America East.
The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
Carly Lesko’s sixth homer of the season, a blast to left field in the first inning, staked the Retrievers (19-23, 3-6 AE) to a 1-0 lead.
Rachel Harvey’s leadoff single to center triggered the fourth-inning rally and Alyssa Derrick followed by singling to left. Felicia Lennon bounced into a 6-4 fielder’s choice and stole second, then Meghan Royle walked to load the bases.
Maddie Moore grounded into a 5-2 fielder’s choice but when catcher Kinsey Shifflett’s throw to first to try to double her up hit Moore in the back, Lennon scored to tie it up.
Goins, pinch-hitting for Chloe Douglass, ripped a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right-center field.
“She crushed it,” said UMaine coach Mike Coutts.
Goins had hit a three-run homer to break a 3-3 tie and lead UMaine to a 6-5 win at Colorado State on March 10. Last Saturday, her two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh gave UMaine a 4-3 win over Stony Brook.
“She’s confident, she’s calm and she knows the situation,” said Coutts.
Senior left-hander Erin Bogdanovich went the distance for the win, striking out five and not walking anyone.
“She did a great job,” said Coutts, who added that right fielder Douglass made an exceptional catch on a sinking liner to help thwart a potential UMBC rally.
Erika Leonard and Royle doubled for UMaine.