MANSFIELD, Conn. (May 8, 2025) – Playing under the lights of Clyde Washburn Field following lengthy weather delays, the UMass Boston softball team dropped its first game of the Little East Conference Postseason Tournament, falling 7-1 to the No. 3 seed Plymouth State Panthers in game six of the bracket.
Alexis Fleischer (San Diego, Calif.) and Jacqueline Cherry (Franklin, Mass.) combined for six innings in the circle. Fleischer tossed the first 2.2 innings against 19 batters, recording two strikeouts. Cherry handled the final 3.1 innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits while striking out three.
Both teams went scoreless through the opening frame. The Panthers opened the scoring in the second with a sacrifice bunt followed by an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead. A five-run third inning for Plymouth State, fueled by three RBI singles and a Beacons error, widened the gap.
UMass Boston's lone run came in the top of the sixth inning in unconventional fashion. Bri Melchionda (Marshfield, Mass.) laced a single to center field that slipped through the fielder's legs and rolled all the way to the warning track. Capitalizing on the miscue, Melchionda raced around the bases and slid home on an overthrow to the plate, scoring on what amounted to a "little league" home run that gave the Beacons' dugout a jolt of energy.
Plymouth State tacked on one more in the sixth with an RBI double to center, securing the final margin.
Five different Beacons recorded hits, led by Melchionda who finished 1-for-2 with a walk and the team's only run scored. Sofie Richland (South Burlington, Vt.), Hayley Krockta (Taunton, Mass.), Lauren Miner (Millbury, Mass.), and Amauri English (North Providence, Mass.) also added hits. Krockta extended her hitting streak to six consecutive games.
The Tournament will resume on Saturday, tentatively, following an adjustment to the schedule pending weather concerns that saw Friday's scheduled games postponed. The Beacons will play again in game nine of the LEC Tournament against the winners of game eight featuring the LEC No.1 and hosts Eastern Connecticut State Warriors vs. the LEC No.5 Western Connecticut State Wolves. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., pending any further weather-related adjustments.
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