BOSTON, Mass. - A doubleheader sweep of Little East Conference foe Plymouth State University improved UMass Boston Softball's program-best start to 16-2 through 18 games. The Beacons took the Panthers by a final score of 6-2 in game one before backing a shutout from Jacqueline Cherry, 2-0 in game two.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 6, Plymouth State University 2
UMass Boston 2, Plymouth State University 0

UMass Boston (16-2, 2-0 LEC)
Plymouth State University (6-10, 0-2 LEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
After stringing together a pair of shutout innings in the circle, Bri Melchionda got the Beacons' offense started with a double to right in the second inning of game one. Mya Perron helped back up her pitcher by bringing her home on the basepaths, hammering a triple to centerfield to score Melchionda. Perron came home in the next at-bat, when Ella Delisle singled her home.

Melchionda was in the middle of working herself out of a first-and-second jam in the third, when a throwing error turned a groundout into two runs scored for the Panthers, tying the game at two.

The UMass Boston offense took their lead right back in the third. After Haley Tillberry bunt moved Sofie Richland and Amauri English into scoring position, Lauryn Bethea brought them both home with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

With the lead on her side, Melchionda went right back to dealing. She worked out of a jam with runners on the corners in the fifth, and otherwise retired every batter she faced across the final four innings.

The Beacons' lead was made more comfortable in the sixth, when Perron and Delisle once again combined to drive home a pair of runs, further securing the 6-2 game one victory.

In game two, the Panthers wasted no time tightening the screws on Cherry. With the bases loaded and just one out recorded, the hurler locked in to generate a strikeout and a lineout to close out the first.

The Beacons got their own opportunity in the opening frame and made good. Leadoff hitter Richland singled and moved herself to second with a stolen base. With two away, she was able to make the sprint from second to home on a Hayley Krockta single. 

In the third inning, the Panthers threatened to tie the game at one, but Perron hosed the runner attempting to score from left field to keep the visitors off the board.

In the seventh and final inning of the day, the Beacons found themselves facing a bases loaded, one out jam while holding onto a delicate 2-0 lead. Cherry fielded a grounder cleanly and went to Kaitlyn Sawyer for the force out at home who promptly threw down to Krockta at first to spin the game-ending double play.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Melchionda and Cherry combined to pitch 14 innings on Saturday without allowing a single earned run
• Melchionda has a 7-0 record with a .30 ERA as a pitcher and a .400 average with five extra base hits as a batter
• Perron finished game one 3-3 at the dish with two RBI
• Game two marked the Beacons' fifth shutout this season
• UMass Boston has won the last three meetings between these teams

WHO'S NEXT
The Beacons will travel across the city to face Emerson College on Tuesday afternoon. Those games are scheduled to start at 3 and 5 PM.