Providence Reporter

Little East Conference recently issued the following announcement.

Third-seeded UMass Dartmouth and fourth-seeded Castleton won their opening contests, while No. 6 Plymouth State staved off elimination on the first day of competition at the 2022 Little East Conference (LEC) Softball Championship Tournament Wednesday at Eastern Connecticut’s Clyde Washburne Field.

Game 1: No. 4 Castleton 5, No. 5 UMass Boston 4 - Box Score

The Spartans scored a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings before holding off a late UMass Boston rally for a one-run victory in the opening game of the 2022 LEC Softball Championship Tournament.

Castleton’s quickly put runners on second and third to start the fourth. Hannah Mosher then scored on Allison Almond’s ground out before Boyle beat the throw home as Kylie Wright reached on a fielders’ choice. Beacons’ pitcher Brianna Melchionda would struggle with her control the following inning, walking Kayla Fac and Kate LaPan with one out before allowing both to score on a pair of two-out wild pitches.  

UMass Boston got back in the ballgame with three runs in the top of the sixth. Haley Tilberry drew a leadoff walk and the scored all the way from first on Gabriella Messier’s double to left. Two batters later, Melchionda made it a one-run game with her home run that cleared the left field fence.

The rally ended after that, as Wright recorded six consecutive outs to end the game. She earned the decision in the circle after allowing four runs on eight hits in the complete-game effort, and advanced the Spartans to a Game 4 matchup with top-seeded Eastern Connecticut Thursday.  

Melchionda suffered the loss for UMass Boston, allowing five runs on four hits and five free passes over her six innings of work.

Game 2: No. 3 UMass Dartmouth 2, No. 6 Plymouth State 1 - Box Score

Kaitlyn Shirshac limited the Panthers to one run on six hits while fanning five batters to lead the Corsairs to a 2-1 win in the second game of the day. She yielded and RBI single to Madison Harris that plated Vanessa Bryan in the top of the second inning, and then held Plymouth State to just three hits the rest of the way.

UMass Dartmouth didn’t trail for long, pulling even in the bottom of the third when Leah Major drove in Lynsie Miracle from second with her two-out single to center field. The Corsairs would eventually walk it off after loading the bases with two outs in the bottom seventh, as Miracle sprinted home on a wild pitch with the game-winning run after reaching base with one one-out single, setting up a matchup with second-seeded Southern Maine in Game 5 Thursday.

Nicole Lebrun took the loss in the circle for PSU, having allowed two runs on six hits and four walks while striking out eight.

Game 3: No. 6 Plymouth State 4, No. 5 UMass Boston 3 - Box Score

After thew two squads traded runs in the first and third innings of the tournament’s first elimination game, Plymouth State jumped in front for good in the bottom of the fourth on Niah Colby’s RBI-double to right that sent Kaity Montelong across the plate. Sam McCann delivered what proved to be the game-winning run the following frame with her solo blast to right, making it 4-2 at the time.

UMass Boston pulled back within one when an error allowed Adrianna Keefe to score from third with one out in the frame. Plymouth State’s Alyssa Wilson then recorded a pair of strikeout to end the frame, and sent the Beacons down in order in the seventh to put the game away.

Wilson finished the game with eight strikeouts while allowing three runs on seven hits in the contest. Emily Doble took the loss for UMass Boston after allowing four runs on nine hits in her 4.2 innings of work.

The Panthers will play in another elimination game to cap Thursday’s

Original source can be found here.