BOSTON, Mass.—Freshman pitcher Annie Thomas (Lunenburg, Mass.) struck out a program-record 15 batters in game two, but it wasn't enough, as UMass Boston softball dropped a pair of Little East Conference games to the University of Southern Maine.

THE BASICS

GM1: Southern Maine 10, UMass Boston 0 (6 Innings)

GM2: Southern Maine 3, UMass Boston 2 (9 Innings)

(UMass Boston 18-10, Little East 5-3)

(Southern Maine 19-8-1, Little East 4-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Thomas carried a shutout into the seventh inning and struck out 14 batters in regulation and one more in extra-innings, to easily break the old program-record of 12 strikeouts in a game. The freshman struck out at least one batter in each of the first eight innings and struck out multiple batters six times.

Unfortunately, the Huskies came up with a comeback in the seventh inning and then scored a two-out run in the ninth, to hand the Beacons their first sweep at the hands of an LEC opponent.

GAME ONE

The conference's leading offense had few problems in game one, as they came through with 15 hits and 10 runs in a six-inning, run-rule victory. 

Co-captain Samantha Crosman led the Huskies with three hits, three RBI and two runs scored, as the Huskies earned their third consecutive win. Courtney Davis added three hits and two runs scored, while Shelby Obert tacked on two hits, two runs and an RBI. 

In the circle, Sammi Goode shut down the Beacons' bats, as she scattered six hits and two walks over six innings. The freshman righty also struck out six to improve to 5-4.

Freshman pitcher Vic Zechello (Westborough, Mass.) struggled for the first time at home this season, as she allowed 15 hits and three walks, while being charged for 10 runs, six earned. 

Senior Kristina Bove (Medford, Mass.) was the lone Beacon with multiple hits, as she went 2-for-3. 

After scoring a single run in the first inning, Southern Maine scratched across three two-out runs in the third. Crosman blasted a two-out, two-run triple and Kat McKay followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0. 

The Huskies tacked on a fifth run in the fifth and then blew the game open in the top of the sixth. Southern Maine scored five runs on four hits and two errors. Center fielder Amber Kelly made it 7-0 with a two-run double and then scampered home on Crosman's RBI single. Senior Mary Caron capped off the inning with an RBI single to make it 10-0.

GAME TWO 

Game two was a pitcher's duel, as Thomas went back-and-forth with both Kelly and Goode. 

The Beacons freshman retired the first nine batters she faced and did not allow a run through 6.1 innings. She struck out two in the first, second and third innings and then struck out the side as part of a four-out fourth in the fifth to pass her previous career-high of nine strikeouts.

Thomas added two more strikeouts to tie the record in the sixth and then used two more strikeouts in the seventh to limit Southern Maine to two runs. She capped off her phenomenal day with strikeout number 15, to end the eighth. 

Offensively, Kaitlyn Morse (Arlington, Mass.), Alyssa Tulley (Lowell, Mass.) and Gia Raczkowski (Stoneham, Mass.) each finished with two of the Beacons' 10 hits.

Kelly went the first 6.1 innings for the Huskies and allowed eight hits and two runs, while striking out two. Goode came on in relief and gave up just two hits, while striking out four in 2.2 innings, to earn her second win of the day. 

Crosman added three more hits and an RBI in game two, while Taylor Lux drove in the game-winning run with her first hit in five at-bats in game two.

UMass Boston came out aggressively against Kelly, but the Huskies turned a double play in each of the first two innings to keep the Beacons off the scoreboard.

The Beacons finally scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Morse led off with a single and Tulley and Raczkowski each followed with bunt singles to load the bases with two down. Roxanne Vento (Arlington, Mass.) followed with an RBI fielder's choice to plate Morse and Kelly got Lauren Mitsiaris (Taunton, Mass.) to hit a hard line drive right to the center fielder to end the inning.

After getting the first out of the top seventh, Thomas ran into trouble. Kelly doubled to left and then pinch-hitter Danni Humphrey walked. With two runners on and one out, a wild pitch advanced both runners to the next base. Crosman followed with a single to center field, to score Kelly and tie the game at 1-1. After a walk loaded the bases, Thomas got pinch-hitter Morgan Scavetta to strike out for the second out of the inning. Ally Pillar came in to score on a passed ball to make it 2-1, but Thomas stopped the bleeding with a strikeout on Lux with the bases loaded. 

UMass Boston came right back at the Huskies with a rally of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Alexa St. Angelo (Cranston, R.I.) led off with a single and Bove followed with a bunt single to put two on with no outs. After a groundout advanced both runners, Southern Maine made a pitching change and brought Goode in for Kelly. Freshman Taylor Pawlina (Woonsocket, R.I.) met Goode with a sacrifice fly to right, as pinch runner Jackie Flynn (Braintree, Mass.) just beat the throw home to tie the game 2-2. Goode settled down from there, as she struck out Morse to force extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Obert doubled with one down, but Thomas retired the next two batters with a foul out to the pitcher and a strikeout swinging. 

UMass Boston had another chance to walk off in the eighth. Tulley led off with a double, but was picked off for the first out of the inning. Raczkowski followed with a high pop that was dropped by the catcher and Raczkowski took second when Southern Maine forgot about her. Vento followed with a single to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Goode came through for the Huskies though, as she got a strikeout and a pop-up to send the game to the ninth.

In the ninth, Crosman led off with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt. After a pop-up and a hit by pitch, Lux singled up the middle to score Crosman to make it 3-2 with two outs. 

Goode shut down the Beacons from there, as she struck out two in the ninth and then got a lineout to right to close out the game.

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Game two marked the Beacons' longest game since April 21, 2014. The Beacons downed Curry College 3-2 in nine innings on Marathon Monday.
• Thomas broke Courtney Haroules ('09) and Kaera Wyse's ('15) mark of 12 strikeouts in a single game.  With her 15 strikeouts, Thomas is sitting on 99 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched. She ranks second in program history with her 99 strikeouts in a single-season, behind only Haroules, who struck out 125 in 2008.
• UMass Boston falls to 10-33 all-time against the Huskies. The Huskies earned their second-straight sweep over UMass Boston in Boston and improved to 10-10 in the last 20 meetings.

WHO'S NEXT

UMass Boston will look to rebound on Saturday, as they make the long trek to Western Connecticut State University for an LEC doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.