Auburn, ME – CMCC Softball earned a split of its doubleheader with in-state rival UMaine-Augusta to start the conference portion of its spring schedule. The Mustangs took game one 8-0 and scored another eight runs in game two, but the Moose fought back to take a 10-8 victory.
Game One, 8-0 W
Lauryn Wood returned from injury to make her first start of the season in game one of the doubleheader. The sophomore out of Winthrop High School pitched a complete game and allowed just one hit to pick up the victory.
The Mustangs got the action started in the bottom of the first. Olivia Gallan and Autumn Peterson both reached safely to lead things off. Miah Gallan lined a single into left field to drive in her older sister, and Peterson scored on a McKenna Ridlon groundout to second base.
Wood got out of a bases loaded jam in the second by striking out Aubrey Peer. Alivia Field worked a walk in the bottom half, and scored on a ruling by the umpire on the next play. Madison Anderson laid down a bunt and beat out a tag by pitcher Addison McCormick for an infield single. Field started to third and the throw by first baseman Emma Boulanger was off target and skipped out of play. Field was awarded home and Anderson advanced all the way to third. Peterson brought her into score after a throw over to first was dropped on a short ground ball back to the pitcher.
There were no errors involved in the next run. Miah Gallan came through with the hardest hit ball of the day, smashing a line drive between center and left that reached the fence on one hop. Peterson charged around to score from first and Gallan had herself a stand-up triple to give Central Maine a 5-0 lead.
The Gallan sisters also combined for another run in the fourth. Olivia walked, then stole second, and reached third on a wild pitch. Miah hit a sky-high pop up that fell on the fringes of the outfield in the tricky triangle between second base, shortstop, and center field for a base hit. Olivia displayed some heads-up base running to increase the lead to 6-0.
The game ended early in the bottom of the fifth. Anderson reached on another bunt, this time down the third base line. Two batters later, Field hit a fly ball that dropped into shallow right but skipped past Emily Lunn and rolled quickly on the turf. Field flew around the bases, with the Lisbon Falls, ME native scoring an inside-the-park home run to make it 8-0 and bring the game to a close due to run rules.
Game Two, 10-8 L
UMA wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in game two. The Moose got their first two batters on base with walks, and Audrey Nile hit an RBI-single into right field for a 1-0 lead.
CMCC responded by taking the lead in the bottom of the first. Miah Gallan hit a hard ground ball through the second baseman to plate sister Olivia again. Sam Withee followed that with an RBI single up the middle that scored Peterson, and Miah made it 3-1 when she tagged up on a Keira Greene sacrifice fly.
It was 5-5 at the end of two innings. Arabel Linkletter beat the throw to the plate on a base hit into left field by Aubrey Peer for UMaine-Augusta. Audrey Nile knocked in another run with an infield single to second before Mackenzie Kutniewski laced a two-RBI shot to left. Withee evened things up for the Mustangs with the lefty blooping a single to center field that induced a collision.
The visitors broke the game open in the fifth by scoring four more runs. Linkletter hit what appeared to be a routine groundout to second, but Greene chose to try and get the out at the plate. Her throw was wide allowing two runs to score. Wood came on to pitch in relief and got McCormick pop out to Peterson (now at first base) in foul territory, but her momentum carried her out of play after making the catch, allowing two runs to tag up and score by rule.
Miah Gallan gave the Mustangs their second inside-the-park home run when she raced around the bases after smashing the ball into center field. The Oxford Hills Vikings product cut the deficit to 9-6 at that point.
In the seventh, McCormick beat out a potential double play after the throw to first was low. Nile brought her home with a ground ball up the middle. The hosts did make things interesting in their last at-bats. Anderson produced a sac-bunt to score Withee and Ridlon came home on a groundout by Greene. However, Boulanger hauled in a pop up by Emily Libby to secure the 10-8 win.
The two sides are scheduled to face each other again this Sunday, April 13th for the reverse fixture. However, UMA will be using the CMCC turf to stage the game. The Moose would still be the "home" team for that doubleheader in Auburn, which is scheduled to get underway at 5:00 pm.
