Oneonta, NY - After a day of rain and a venue change, the North Atlantic Conference Softball Championship Tournament resumed at the State University of New York at Oneonta on Saturday morning. Vermont State University Lyndon and the University of Maine at Farmington squared off in an elimination game to start the day. Unfortunately for Lyndon, the Beavers prevailed, xx-xx, bringing the Hornet season to a close. UMaine-Farmington improved to 16-17 on the season and advanced to face either the State University of New York at Cobleskill or the State University of New York at Delhi in another elimination game on Saturday afternoon. Lyndon finished with an overall record of 6-25.
After Lyndon went down in order in the top of the first inning, UMF's Abby Wrinn doubled leading off the bottom of the first. she moved to third on Melissa Mayo's sacrifice bunt, then scored on Maddie Pike's base hit, giving the Beavers the lead. After Christa Allen beat out an infield hit, Katie Morse laced a double to center field, driving in Pike. However Allen was gunned down at the plate, with Morse moving to third on the throw. Bella Miller then beat out an infield hit, driving in Morse to make the score 3-0, UMF after one inning.
Claudia Knapp (Howell, NJ) doubled leading off the top of the second inning, then advanced to third base on a passed ball. She was stranded there, however, as UMF pitcher Mack Bergen retired the next three Hornets to end the inning.
UMF broke the game open with eight runs in the bottom of the second inning. Wrinn started things with a leadoff single, then scored when Mayo followed with a double down the left field line. Allen's one-out single scored Mayo, then a Morse RBI single extended the Beaver lead to 6-0 and meant the end of the day in the circle for Lyndon starter Emily Anderson (Levittown, NY). Riley McNamara (Manchester, NH) came on in relief and promptly got the second out. However when Olivia Paradis reached on an error, Morse scored and the inning continued. Paradis moved to third on back to back passed balls, After Jojo Daigneault walked and stole second, Reilly Russell delivered a two-run single back up the middle. Wrinn then reached on another Lyndon error, with Russell scoring on the play. When Mayo reached on the third Lyndon error of the inning, Wrinn came home to make the score 11-0, UMF.
Lyndon again tried to get something going in the top of the third inning, but could only muster a one out single from Kazandra Gonzalez (Norwalk, CA). UMF pushed across another run in the bottom of the frame when Morse reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on a Paradis base hit.
Lisa Truchin relieved Bergen in the top of the fourth inning and retired the first two Hornets. Shyanne Glencross (Tilton, NH) then singled to right field. However Lyndon again couldn't string anything together and stranded Glencross.
The Beavers plated two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Wrinn was again the catalyst, as she started things with a one out base hit. Mayo followed with a double to score Wrinn, then scored on Pike's base hit.
Pinch hitter Sarah Collier (Hardwick, VT) walked leading off the top of the fifth inning. However UMF turned a double play then Truchin struck out the final batter to end the game.
Bergen picked up the win, allowing only two hits in three innings while striking out three. Truchin pitched two scoreless innings of one-hit relief, striking out two. Emily Andreson took the loss after allowing seven runs, six earned, and ten hits in 1.1 innings. McNamara allowed seven runs, three earned, and seven hits with one strikeout and one walk over 2.2 innings.
Saturday's game was the final one for Lyndon seniors Emily Anderson, Knapp, Seairra Anderson (Somersworth, NH), Bailey Quire (Gainesville, FL), and Blake Southworth (Bethel, VT). Seairra Anderson finishes her career with 105 hits, the most of any Lyndon player since Lyndon rejoined the NCAA and Divisioon III and joined the NAC in 2008-09. Knapp concludes her career as the program's all-time home run leader with 15, and with 99 hits.
