Owls struggle on weekend

The University of Maine at Presque Isle softball and baseball teams were back in action over the weekend, with neither able to return home with a victory.
The softball squad was beaten in both ends of a doubleheader against Southern Maine Community College Saturday in South Portland.
In the first game, the Owls recorded nine hits but turned them into only two runs in an 8-2 loss. Taylor Cochran and Katie Patenaude had two hits each to lead the UMPI offense, while Krista Coffin struck out 14 batters in her six innings of work.
Game two saw UMPI jump out to a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but SMCC battled back for the 9-5 victory. Amanda Allen, Shannon Brown, Brittany Luetjen, Whitney Donovan, Patenaude and Coffin had two hits each for the Owls. One of Luetjen’s was a triple and she also scored two runs. After a strong start, Donovan was tagged with the pitching loss.
On Sunday, UMPI was stopped by the University of Southern Maine twice, 16-0 and 11-1. The Owls were unable to muster a hit against the Huskies’ Desiree Benner in the opener as the game ended after five innings due to the run rule.
UMPI’s only run of the twinbill came in the first inning of game two as Coffin’s sacrifice bunt scored Allen from third base. However, USM scored five times in its half of the inning and ended up with the comfortable victory.
Coffin was the losing pitcher in the first game, while Katlyn Dow was handed the game two loss.
The Owls fell to 4-16 with the loss. The team has road doubleheaders scheduled Friday (against Maine Maritime Academy in Castine) and Saturday (against Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor).
The UMPI baseball team lost all six games it played and coach Mike Pankow’s team is now 1-22 overall.
On Friday, the Owls were swept by SMCC, 8-1 and 6-1. Ryan Thompson scored UMPI’s only run in the sixth inning of game one as the Seawolves were able to jump out to a four-run lead after the first inning and cruised from that point on.
Josiah Brazier pitched three shutout innings for UMPI in the second game before running into trouble in the fourth. SMCC scored five times in the frame and went on to the win. Cam Morrell doubled and came across on an Adam Begos hit for the Owls’ lone run, which again came in the sixth inning.
UMPI squared off against Fisher College for a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday in Lynn, Mass. The hosts were able to sweep both, by scores of 5-0 and 5-2 on Saturday and 6-0 and 5-1 on Sunday.
In Saturday’s first game, Brazier had three hits and Isaiah Straubel had two, but the team was unable to push across a run against Falcon pitcher Victor Mendez. Dylan Worster started and took the loss for the Owls.
Thompson and Lucas Molloy pitched well in the nightcap for UMPI, which scored single tallies in the fifth and seventh innings for its offense. Andrew Bartlett had an RBI single and Morrell’s bases-loaded walk drove in the team’s other run.
On Sunday, UMPI was held to two hits in the first contest, with Brazier and Morrell notching singles against Fisher pitcher Pedro Escarfullery. To wrap up the weekend, the Falcons again received a strong pitching effort from their starter, Moises Melo-Reyes, whose three-hitter helped Fisher to the win.
Brazier, Morrell and Bartlett collected the Owls’ hits.
UMPI, which has been shut out eight times and held to one run in four others, returns to Massachusetts to take on Rivier and Fisher for contests set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.