Sara Packard registered the 500th strikeout of her pitching career on Sunday, March 18, in the University of Maine at Presque Isle softball team’s 16-3 victory over Lehman College in the second game of a doubleheader played in West Bronx, New York.
UMPI is now 5-5 on the season heading into a four-game series against Pine Manor University of Newton, Massachusetts. Doubleheaders will be played Saturday, March 24, and Sunday, March 25, at the Mahaney Dome on the University of Maine at Orono campus.
Packard, a senior from St. Albans, struck out 10 batters in the first game of the doubleheader, a 9-1 UMPI win. Her third strikeout of the second game, which came with one out in the bottom of the second inning, was the 500th of her career. She ended up with eight strikeouts in the contest.
Sara Packard (Courtesy of UMPI Athletics)
Marissa Reagle of Seattle, Washington, hit a first-inning homer in the opener, while Roni Shaw of Payette, Idaho, and Emily Page of Lincoln added two-RBI hits.
Melanee Terry of Moreno Valley, California, and Madison Exferd of Payette, Idaho, both ripped home runs in the game two victory. Delanie Strout of Greene contributed a two-run double.
UMPI, coached by Sara Shaw, began its season March 10 by splitting games played at UM-Orono against Thomas College, winning the opener 9-4 and losing the second game, 5-2. On March 12, the Owls split with Penn State-Brandywine, losing 8-0 before rebounding for a 14-10 win. It was another split on March 16 against Southern Virginia (an 8-7 loss and a 9-4 win) before a loss in both ends of a doubleheader played March 17 at the College of New Rochelle by scores of 12-3 and 5-2.
The Owl baseball team’s only win of its spring trip came Saturday, March 17, over the City College of New York in the first game of a doubleheader by a score of 8-4.
Tyler McLaughlin of Fremont, California, posted the pitching victory by recording seven strikeouts and scattering eight hits in five innings of work. Ryan Sanderson of Cow Bay, Nova Scotia, picked up the save.
Sanderson hit a solo homer in the second inning to get the offense going for UMPI. Trailing 3-1, the Owls tied the game with two unearned runs in the fifth inning.
The game was tied 4-4 before Keanu Vincente of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, drove in two runs with a double to make it 7-4 before doubles by Matt Curry of Caribou and Sanderson in the seventh capped the Owls’ scoring.
UMPI had opened the season by losing a three-game set to Newbury College at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Massachusetts, at the end of February. Several games were cancelled during last week’s spring trip, but a few were played. The Owls were swept by the College of Mount St. Vincent of Bronx, New York, March 15 by scores of 24-2 and 15-0. At Lehman College the following day, UMPI lost 18-12 and 17-6.
The team lost the second game to CCNY March 17, 4-3, and then on Sunday, March 18, lost a single game at Staten Island University, 4-1.
UMPI’s baseball team, under interim coach Roger Stinson, next plays a game at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, on Friday, March 23, and then has games in Lynn, Massachusetts, Saturday, March 24, against Rivier University of Nashua, New Hampshire, and Fisher College of Boston. The Owls finish the busy weekend with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 25, against Anna Maria University of Paxton, Massachusetts, at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough.
