Owls finish tourney with extra-inning victory
AKRON, Ohio — The University of Maine at Presque Isle softball team ended its season last Tuesday on a winning note with a thrilling extra-inning victory over Penn College. The 4-3 triumph ensured the Owls a ninth-place finish in the USCAA National Tournament.
The Wildcats (17-20) got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second as Samantha Hill singled to drive in a run, but the Owl defense minimized the damage by stranding two runners.
Penn College clinged to the one-run lead until the sixth inning. Senior Katie Patenaude of Presque Isle singled to lead off the inning and move to second on a groundout. She scored the tying run on a two-out defensive miscue by the Wildcats.
Neither team would be able to plate a run in the seventh, so in extra innings, teams start each inning with a runner on second. Penn College took advantage of that when Taylor Krow singled to drive in a run. After stealing second and advancing to third on an error, Krow scored what looked to be a crushing insurance run when Kelsey Gantz singled to drive her in.
Down 3-1, Sara Packard, a sophomore from St. Albans, singled to lead off the inning. The Wildcats looked to be in charge of the game when they made a great relay from left field to throw out the Owls baserunner for the first out of the inning. However, UMPI showed its resiliency and Nicole Marucci followed with a single. An error in the Penn College outfield allowed Packard to score and the tying run to move to second. Senior Amanda Allen of Limestone then drove in Marucci with a ground ball to second to force a ninth inning.
Penn College would go in order in the top half of the frame, and the Owls needed to score just the one run. With the runner on second, Hannah Williams, a freshman from Park Falls, Nova Scotia, laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third. Dalynn Jacobs, a freshman from Riverside, R.I., then lifted a fly ball to left field that was deep enough to allow Jordi Legassie, a freshman from Presque Isle, to score from third base for the game-winning run.
The Owls, who had lost the first two games of the national tournament May 16, ended their season with a 26-15 record.
