Concord, NH – The CMCC Softball team kept their win streak in YSCC play going by sweeping a doubleheader against NHTI on the road. The pair of victories, 6-4 and 13-3, were the Mustangs' first wins away from their home turf complex this season. Sophomore Miah Gallan led the charge by combining for three RBIs, four runs scored, and six hits, including three doubles.
Game One, 6-4 W
Autumn Peterson made a statement to start the first game of the doubleheader. The freshman and three-sport athlete at Central Maine stepped to the plate as the second batter in the top of the first and promptly whacked her first career home run over the center field fence for a 1-0 lead.
That was the only run from the first two innings of the game, as both starting pitchers, Lauryn Wood for CMCC and Summer LaFlamme for NHTI, settled into rhythm. The hosts finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Leadoff hitter Emma Broadstone worked a walk and scored when Khloe Mackenzie's ground ball resulted in a throw that got away from first base. Sydney MacLean and Isabella Ferrazanni came through with back-to-back RBI doubles later in the inning to go up 3-1.
The Mustangs would even things up in the top of the fifth. Miah Gallan lined a double into left that brought Peterson sprinting around to score from first. Sam Withee followed that up with a ground ball through the gap between first and second to plate Gallan and tie the score at 3-3.
Both teams went down in order in the sixth, setting up a crucial seventh inning. Makenzie Anderson led off for CMCC with a single and got into scoring position on an Olivia Gallan groundout. Peterson and Miah then delivered back-to-back RBI doubles of their own before Withee drove in Miah for the second time with a single into left field.
Down to their last three outs and by three runs on the scoreboard, NHTI got a leadoff single from Broadstone to try and spark a comeback. Mackenzie moved her into scoring position after grounding out and LaFlamme brought her home with a sacrifice fly, but Wood got Alivia Morris to ground out to short to end the game.
Wood finished the day with a complete-game victory, striking out five and allowing just three earned runs in seven innings of work. It was the Winthrop, ME native's first time pitching the full distance since returning to the team from injury.
Game Two, 13-3 W
The Mustangs had a much more dominant second game of the doubleheader, jumping on starter Madison Darling in the first inning. The first seven batters reached safely and six different players scored to take a 6-0 lead.
Miah doubled for the third time in the afternoon to plate older sister Olivia. Withee and Keira Greene drove in Peterson and Gallan with RBI singles. Madison Anderson was hit by a pitch to load the bases and a walk worked by Alivia Field brought Withee home. Emily Libby grounded into a fielder's choice but still picked up an RBI with Greene scoring and McKenna Ridlon finished off the inning when her pop fly to short was dropped, allowing Anderson to sprint home.
Four straight doubles did the damage in the second to add four more runs. Withee and Field both picked up RBIs and Madison Anderson got two with their extra base hits, making it 10-0 Central Maine. That led to a pitching change with game one starter LaFlamme coming in for the remainder of the game. NHTI pulled one back in the bottom half of the inning on a wild pitch.
It was Libby's turn to pick up some RBIs in the third inning. The sophomore from Lisbon, ME plated both Greene and Anderson with a double to center field. Miah then brought Olivia around to score once again in the fourth inning for a commanding 13-1 lead.
The Lynx needed three runs in the bottom of the fifth to keep the game going but could only come up with two. Darling and Broadstone both scored on ground balls, but Peterson sat Ferrazanni down with three straight strikes to complete the doubleheader sweep.
The two teams meet again on Thursday, April 24th for a pair of games in Auburn, ME. Before that, softball heads down to South Portland for a doubleheader with rival SMCC. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm on Wednesday.
