Lyndonville, VT - Northern Vermont University-Lyndon rallied for a walk-off win in the opening game of Sunday's North Atlantic Conference doubleheader with the University of Maine at Farmington. The Hornets then outslugged the Beavers in the nightcap to complete the sweep and earn the program's first NAC playoff berth since 2014. Lyndon improves to 17-11 on the season and finishes 6-4 in conference, good for third place in the NAC East Division. UMaine-Farmington wraps up their season at 7-21 overall and 5-5 in the NAC.
Game 1 - NVU-Lyndon 3, UMaine-Farmington 2
The opener quickly developed into a pitcher's duel between Lyndon's Victoria Valentine (Lyndon, VT) and UMF's Carleigh Schievink. Both pitchers hung zeros on the scoreboard for the first four innings. Lyndon threatened in the bottom of the third inning when they loaded the bases with one out. However Schievink worked her way out of trouble by retiring the next two hitters.
Taylor Veilleux doubled to lead off the UMF fifth inning. Katie Hammer then beat out an infield hit to put runners at the corners. Veilleux then scored on a passed ball, giving the Beavers a 1-0 lead. Hammer moved to third when Chelsea Davis bounced back to the pitcher, then scored the second UMF run on Emma Campbell's squeeze bunt.
The 2-0 lead looked like it might be enough for Schievink, who continued to keep the Hornets scoreless heading into the home seventh inning. Then with one out, Amber Everett (Morrisville, VT) singled. Then with two outs and Seairra Anderson (Somersworth, NH) down to her final strike, the Hornets stayed alive when Anderson reached on an error, and a second error on the play allowed Everett to score. Claudia Knapp (Howell, NJ) then singled back up the middle to score Anderson and tie the game. Saleena Porter (St. Johnsbury, VT) followed with a double that moved Knapp to third with the winning run. Valentine then gave the Hornets the walk-off victory when she lined a shot down the third base line that the Beavers knocked down but couldn't make a play on.
Valentine earned the win by allowing only two runs and five hits over seven innings. She struck out one and walked one. Schievink took the loss despite not yielding an earned run. She scattered 11 hits and struck out four without walking a batter.
Game 2 - NVU-Lyndon 10, UMaine-Farmington 8
In contrast to the opener, the nightcap saw both teams get their bats going. The Beavers struck first with two outs in the top of the first inning. Olivia Paradis drew a walk then Christa Allen followed with a base hit. After Allen stole second, Makayla Wilson beat out an infield hit, scoring Paradis. Veilleux walked to load the bases, then Hammer's single drove home all three runners to give the Beavers a 4-0 lead.
The Hornets got right back into the game in the bottom half of the first inning. Everett singled leading off, then Anderson walked. With two outs, Porter reached on an error, allowing Anderson to score. Valentine followed with a base hit, scoring two more runs and making it a one-run ball game.
The Hornets pulled even in the home second. Everett walked, then moved to second on a passed ball. She came home on Blake Southworth's (Bethel, VT) double.
Knapp gave Lyndon their first lead of the game when she led off the bottom of the third inning with a towering home run over the center field fence. After Porter reached on an error and Valentine singled, Riann Fortin (Derby, VT) lofted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Porter to give the Hornets a 6-4 lead.
Meanwhile Valentine settled in after the rocky first inning. She kept the Beavers at bay over the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings, allowing only two hits over that stretch.
Lyndon opened up some breathing room in the bottom of the fifth inning. Porter led off with a base hit, then Valentine doubled and Fortin reached on an error to load the bases. When Lauren Siciliano (Lynbrook, NY) grounded into a fielder's choice, Porter scored, making it 7-4, Hornets. Jordan Adams (Lyndon, VT) then doubled to deep right field, driving in two more runs and extending the Lyndon lead to 9-4.
UMF got something going against Valentine in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Hammer and Davis singled, then Campbell hit a three-run home run over the left field fence, cutting the Lyndon lead to 9-7.
The Hornets added an insurance run in the home sixth. Anderson led off with a double, then moved to third when Knapp grounded out. Porter then delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Anderson.
Down to their final at bat, the Beavers tried to mount a rally. Paradis doubled leading off the inning, then moved to third on a wild pitch. When Allen walked, the Beavers brought the tying run to the plate with no outs. Wilson's sacrifice fly to left field drove in Paradis, but Valentine retired the next two hitters to end the game and give the Hornets the win.
Valentine threw her second complete game and picked up her second win of the day, yielding eight runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Beaver starter Maddie Souza took the loss after going two plus innings and allowing six runs, one earned, on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Schievink pitched the final four frames and allowed four runs, two earned, on four hits with one strikeout.
Prior to Sunday's doubleheader the Hornets recongized their lone senior, Samantha Valentine (Lyndon, VT). She was joined by family and friends and thanked for her contributions to the Hornet program.
The Hornets will now wait to learn who they will face first in next weekend's NAC Championship Tournament. The six-team, double elimination tournament will be played next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at NAC East Division winner Husson University. Tournament seeding and game times will be announced by the conference office in the upcoming days. The winner of the NAC championship will earn automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
