Waterville, ME - After dropping the opener of Friday's North Atlantic Conference doubleheader at Thomas College, the Northern Vermont University-Lyndon softball team bounced back for an 8-4 victory in the nightcap. The Win was Lyndon's first over Thomas since 2014, a stretch of 17 games. Following today's split the Hornets are now 9-18 on the season and 3-5 in NAC play. Thomas is now 12-13 overall and 5-3 in conference.
Game 1 - Thomas 8, NVU-Lyndon 1
Thomas jumped in front in the bottom of the first inning when Megan Oberholzer's sacrifice fly brought home Kelsey Currier. The Terriers tacked on another run in the third inning when Oberholzer beat out an infield hit, allowing Currier to score again.
The Hornets got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs, Riann Fortin (Derby, VT) reached on an error. Fortin then came in with Lyndon's first run when Victoria Valentine (Burke, VT) singled back up the middle.
Thomas responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two Terriers aboard, Currier laces a two-run double down the left field line. Maddie Rock followed with a base hit back up the middle, scoring Currier.
The Terriers broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning. The first two Thomas batters of the inning, Kayla Duhaime and Katy McIntyre, homered on back to back pitches. Later in the inning, Currier drove in Leah Knight, giving Thomas an 8-1 lead. That would be how the game ended.
Currier went the distance in the circle to pick up the win for Thomas. She allowed only four hits, striking out nine while walking three. Valentine started for Lyndon and took the loss. She allowed seven runs in four plus innings and struck out a pair.
Game 2 - NVU-Lyndon 8, Thomas 4
The Hornets wasted little time taking the lead in the nightcap. Amber Everett (Morrisville, VT) walked leading off, then Adriana Lemieux (St. Jo0hnsbury, VT) followed with a triple, scoring Everett. Valentine's two out base hit brought Lemieux home and gave Lyndon a 2-0 lead.
The next several innings would turn into a pitcher's duel between Lyndon starter Hannah Corvino (Milford, NJ) and Oberholzer, who got the game two start for Thomas. Lyndon couldn't add to their lead against Oberholzer over the next four frames. However, Corvino kept Thomas at bay, only allowing a third inning run on Oberholzer's sacrifice fly.
Clinging to a 2-1 lead, the Hornets broke things open in the top of the sixth inning. After Saleena Porter (St. Johnsbury, VT) walked and Fortin followed with a base hit, Valentine's double scored both runners. The Hornets added a run later in the inning when Seairra Anderson (Somersworth, NH) scored on a passed ball. Everett then came through with a two-out, two-run base hit, extending the Lyndon lead to 7-1.
Thomas got a little closer in the bottom of the sixth inning on a two-run home run from Makayla Panich. The Hornets then put an unearned run on the board in the top of the seventh inning when Audrey Tembreull (Vergennes, VT) drew a bases loaded walk. Thomas pushed across an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh, but it was too little, too late.
Corvino went the distance to earn the win, allowing three earned runs and six hits while striking out two and walking two. Olberholzer took the loss for Thomas, allowing six runs, four earned, and six hits with three strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
The Hornets will wrap up NAC play with a doubleheader at the University of Maine at Farmington on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2:00 pm.
