Auburn, ME – The CMCC Softball team had their most productive day of the spring season, taking a pair of wins against UMaine-Augusta and scoring 22 times in each game. Olivia Gallan, Alivia Field, and Keira Greene each drove in six runs, with Field also scoring seven times herself and Gallan and Greene each producing six hits. The games were technically home contests for the Moose, though played at Central Maine's turf field after the recent heavy rain.
Game One, 22-17 W
The first game of the chilly doubleheader was an offensive slugfest with both teams scoring double-digit runs. UMA took the lead in the bottom of the first when Aubrey Peer tripled to drive in a run and scored later in the inning herself. Emma Boulanger grounded out but allowed Addison McCormick to come home on the fielder's choice to make it 3-0.
Olivia Gallan pulled one back in the top of the second, hitting a single into right field that plated Greene. The Mustangs then broke it open in the third. Miah Gallan, Sam Withee, McKenna Ridlon, Makenzie Anderson, and Field all came around to score to take a 6-3 lead with Anderson's double being the highlight of the inning.
Starting pitchers Lauryn Wood and McCormick each made short work of the fourth before both teams combined for 15 runs in the fifth. Greene and Autumn Peterson both hit RBI doubles, leaving the Mustangs feeling comfortable with a 9-3 lead. That's when the Moose made their move scoring 12 times in the bottom half of the inning and nearly batting around the order twice. Audrey Nile hit two doubles, combining for five RBIs and every player in the lineup scored at least once to go up 15-9.
The game seesawed back-and-forth once more, as CMCC batted around the order themselves in the sixth to score nine times. All nine players put the ball in play and reached safely with Miah Gallan and Madison Anderson's doubles helping clear the bases. When the inning was over the Mustangs were back on top 18-15.
UMaine-Augusta scored once in the bottom of the sixth but gave up four more in the top of the seventh. Peterson, into pitch in relief of Wood, cut short any hopes of a late rally. The Moose got one across the plate in their last at-bats before a strikeout of Boulanger ended the game.
Game Two, 22-8 W
Central Maine did all their damage early in game two. Boulanger got the start for the final game of the doubleheader but struggled to find the strike zone for UMA in the first two innings. The Mustangs put five across the plate in the first and added seven in the second. Field and Anderson both had two-RBI doubles to set up a big lead.
Peterson continued pitching, picking up right where she left off in game one by getting the start. Arabel Linkletter scored on a Peer single in the first and helped the Moose briefly get back into it with a triple in the second, part of three runs in the inning. However, with the cold settling in, Linkletter was summoned from center field to pitch. The Mustangs took advantage to score ten times in the third and erased all doubt about the outcome of the game.
UMaine-Augusta did score at least one run in every inning, but Peterson was able to limit the damage enough to close things out after just five to pick up her second win.
CMCC improved to 7-11 with the pair of victories and went 4-2 against UMA in the regular season. The first-year Moose program did show they are a team to be taken seriously in the YSCC having beaten the Mustangs twice on their home field, including their first ever program victory back in September.
