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UMass Boston

SB v ECSU LEC Recap Cover
12
Winner Mass.-Boston MASS.-BO 30-11-1
4
Eastern Conn. St. EASTERN 21-18
Winner
Mass.-Boston MASS.-BO
30-11-1
12
Final
4
Eastern Conn. St. EASTERN
21-18
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mass.-Boston MASS.-BO 1 2 0 0 1 3 5 12 14 0
Eastern Conn. St. EASTERN 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 4 5 0

W: Cherry, Jacqueline (12-4) L: E. Mitchell (16-8)

Game Recap: Softball | | David Cataloni

Seventh-Inning Surge Sends Beacons to LEC Championship Round

MANSFIELD, Conn. (May 10, 2025) – A late-game offensive eruption propelled the UMass Boston softball team (30-11-1) to a 12-5 victory over 2025 Little East Conference Regular Season Champion Eastern Connecticut State in Game Nine of the LEC Tournament. Fueled by a five-run, five-hit seventh inning, the Beacons now advance to Saturday night's championship round against the Plymouth State Panthers, with a chance to force a winner-take-all game on Sunday.

UMass Boston leaned on both of its aces in the semifinal victory. Bri Melchionda (Marshfield, Mass.) got the start and delivered four solid innings, limiting the Warriors to four hits and two strikeouts across 23 batters. Jacqueline Cherry (Franklin, Mass.) closed out the final two innings, holding the Warriors to one scoreless hit against 12 faced batters with two strikeouts, while the Beacons' bats took care of business.

How It Happened:

  • The Beacons struck first in the opening frame. Haley Tilberry (Moosic, Penn.) worked a one-out walk, moved to second on Melchionda's single, and scored on Hayley Krockta's (Taunton, Mass.) RBI base hit to left.

  • UMass Boston extended its lead in the second with a two-run rally. Amauri English (North Providence, R.I.) singled and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Avery Weinstein (Winnetka, Ill.). After Sofie Richland (South Burlington, Vt.) reached on an infield single, Tilberry delivered again—this time with a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 3-0.

  • Eastern Connecticut responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second and then took a 4-3 lead in the fourth with two runs on three hits.

  • The Beacons answered in the fifth. Tilberry added another single and came around to score on Krockta's RBI single, tying the game at four.

  • UMass Boston broke the game open in the sixth with a patient, disciplined approach—drawing three bases-loaded walks and collecting two hits to take a 7-4 lead.

  • The seventh inning sealed the win. The Beacons erupted for five more runs on five hits. English and Cherry each singled before Ella Delisle (Amesbury, Mass.) drew a walk to load the bases. Richland brought home a run with a single, and with two outs, Melchionda crushed a bases-clearing double to deep left center, pushing the lead to 11-4. Krockta capped the frame with her fourth RBI of the day, driving in Melchionda with a well-placed single to left center.

By the Numbers:

  • UMass Boston finished 14-for-33 (.424) as a team, drawing six walks and striking out just once—a testament to the lineup's plate discipline and depth.

  • Krockta and English led the offense with three hits apiece, while Krockta and Melchionda each drove in four runs.

  • English and Richland each scored three times. Cherry added a hit and a run scored in her first plate appearance of the season.

  • Richland and Krockta each recorded a stolen base.

What's Next:

UMass Boston returns to the diamond tonight at 7:30 p.m. for the first of two potential championship games against Plymouth State. A win tonight forces a decisive Game Eleven at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. A loss would crown the Panthers the 2025 LEC Champions.

Catch all the action live on the LEC Network as the Beacons look to continue their historic postseason push.

— FOR THE TIMES —

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