BANGOR, Maine — Rain made life miserable for both starting pitchers at the outset of Saturday afternoon’s elimination game of the North Atlantic Conference softball tournament.
But Castleton (Vermont) University was best when the conditions were worst and nursed four first-inning runs to a 4-3 victory over host Husson University at the Winkin Complex.
Top-seeded Husson had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning amid steady rain that forced the second day of the four-team, double-elimination event to be moved from O’Keefe Field, the Eagles’ natural-turf home, to the adjacent artificial-turf baseball field.
But Castleton (20-10-1) countered with four runs in the bottom of the inning, and that was just enough for the Spartans as the weather, ever so gradually, improved and the pitchers gained more control.
“I think a lot of it was weather,” said Husson coach Terren Allen. “The pitchers struggled to grip the ball a little bit on both sides. It just as easily could have been Castleton’s pitcher, it could have been the other way around but I’m glad we bounced back the way we did.”
Second-seeded Castleton — which announced on Thursday that it would be leaving the NAC to join the Little East Conference beginning with the 2018-19 season — advanced to the championship round later but lost 2-0 to No. 3 Thomas College of Waterville, which won the title.
Husson ended its season at 28-13.
Starting pitchers Kayla Wood of Castleton and Alannah Healy of Husson both struggled to grip the ball at the outset of their win-or-go-home clash.
Wood walked the first two batters in the top of the first — Husson was designated the visiting team for the contest — but yielded just one run as leadoff hitter Bri Brochu came around to score on a wild pitch.
Castleton sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning, combining three hits, three walks and a Husson error to build a 4-1 lead.
Four of the first five batters reached base against Healy and came around to score, with an RBI double by Tori Swaine and Jordan Gouger’s two-run double down the left-field line giving the Spartans a quick 3-1 advantage.
Jen Jones came on in relief and yielded a bases-loaded walk to Sami Carlo but quickly settled down and retired 16 of the final 20 batters she faced.
“We were trying to figure out some things in the dugout to get her a better grip,” said Allen, “but weather’s weather and we knew we were going to play in rain and it was going to be a struggle. I’m glad Jen kept her head in it and got stronger as the game went along.”
Husson was left to play catch-up the rest of the way — and had plenty of chances.
The Eagles put their first two batters aboard in five of five of their first six at-bats but never put more than one run across in any inning.
Husson narrowed its deficit to 4-2 in the third on an RBI groundout by Olivia Smith, then made it a one-run game in the fourth when Nicole Andrade walked, went to second on a wild pitch and took third on an error before scoring on an errant throw home after Casey Lopes flied out to right.
The Eagles got their first hit, a pop single by Smith, off Castleton reliever Taylor Paquette in the fifth but left two runners aboard, then left the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.
Husson stranded nine baserunners, six in scoring position.
“I’m not really sure I have an answer for that one but we just got unlucky,” said Allen. “Same with the sixth inning, we just couldn’t come through. We just needed one little hit to go through, but that’s just how it went down.”
