UMPI Owl softball readies for tourney
The UMPI baseball season came to an end Thursday, but the Owl softball squad is still alive and will compete in the USCAA National Championship Tournament in Akron, Ohio next week.
The Owl women drew the No. 4 seed in the 10-team event and takes on College of St. Joseph’s (Vt.) at 2 p.m. Monday, May 26.
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College of St. Mary’s, Ind. is the top seed, followed by No. 2 Carlow University of Pittsburgh, Pa. and third-seed New Hampshire Technical Institute of Concord, N.H. The tourney concludes May 29.
UMPI has a record of 25-13 on the season. The team, coached by Sara Shaw, wrapped up its regular season April 30.
Sara Packard, a sophomore from St. Albans, is the team’s No. 1 pitcher. In 32 starts, she compiled an 18-13 won-loss record. She had 25 complete games and owned an earned run average of 3.00, striking out 170 batters in 186 innings of work.
The team compiled a batting average of .294 and averaged 6.5 runs per game. Katie Patenaude, a senior from Presque Isle; Hannah Williams, a freshman from Park Falls, Nova Scotia and Packard paced the Owl offense. Patenaude and Williams tied for the team lead in hits with 43, with Patenaude batting .387 and Williams coming in at .377. Patenaude led the squad in RBIs with 28 and Williams scored 36 runs, which led the way.
Packard, who batted .356, had a team-high five home runs. Nicole Marucci, a sophomore from Naples, had a batting average of .368 and Dalynn Jacobs, a freshman from Riverside, R.I., batted .301. Amanda Allen, a senior from Limestone, drove in 20 runs, tying Williams and Packard for third on the team, and Jordi Legassie, a freshman from Presque Isle, swiped an Owl-best 11 stolen bases.
In baseball action, the Owls fell in the play-in game of the City University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament held in Staten Island, N.Y., losing to Lehman College of West Bronx, N.Y., 8-2.
Lehman got off to a quick start with four first-inning runs off Owl starter Matt Curry, a sophomore from Caribou, and added two more in the third, knocking Curry out of the game.
The Owls scored both of their runs in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a Lehman error. Andrew Bartlett, a senior from Damariscotta, drove in Curry from third for the first run. Ryan Sanderson, a freshman from Cow Bay, Nova Scotia, scored the second run when Saul Nunez, a sophomore from Presque Isle, reached on an infield error.
The score remained 6-2 until the Lightning tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the ninth off relief pitcher Tyler McLaughlin, a sophomore from Fremont, Calif.
UMPI managed just four hits off the combined pitching of Francisco Pena and Harrison Paulino. Curry had one, while Adam Begos, a senior from Westbrook; Tommy Collins, a senior from Pembroke; and Solomon Fast, a sophomore from Phillips, had the others.
The Owls, coached by Mike Pankow, ended up with a 12-26 record.
