Softball Comes Up Just Short in Pair of Games at Stony Brook

Game 2
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Maine (11-26)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
Stony Brook (31-11)	1	0	0	0	0	0	X	1	6	0
@ Stony Brook, NY | University Field

Pitching
Win: Cukrov (20-5) - Stony Brook
Loss: Beth Spoehr (4-7) - Maine

Maine Batting
2B: Hilary Kane
3B: none
HR: none

Stony Brook Batting
2B: Hawley; Combs
3B: none
HR: none

full stats

STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- The University of Maine softball squad (11-26, 3-7 America East) came up just short in a pair of games at current top-seeded Stony Brook (31-11, 10-1), losing the first game 3-0 before dropping game two 1-0. EmJ Fogel (Vienna, Va.), Jessica Burk (Warrenton, Va.) and Jennifer Eberhardt (Glendale, Ariz.) each had hits in game one while Dagmar Ralphs (O'Fallon, Ill.) led the offense in game two. Ashley Kelley (Hermon, Maine) and Beth Spoehr (Appleton, Wis.) each turned in solid outings in the circle for the Black Bears.

Stony Brook started the scoring in game one as they took a 1-0 lead after two innings of play. Jessica Combs began the inning by working a walk before advancing to second on a bunt single by Nicole Hegerty. With one away, Nicole Schieferstein's sac-bunt moved the runners up to second and third with two outs. Suzanne Karath then knocked in the first run of the afternoon with a single to third, plating Combs.

Kelley and the Black Bears defense kept things close until the Seawolves added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Shayla Giosia led off the inning with a single to left center which was followed by a walk from Lauren Maloney. Bernadette Tenuto's sac-bunt gave the Seawolves runners on second and third with one out before Combs' double to the right center gap plated a pair as Stony Brook would eventually hang on for the 3-0 win.

Kelley dropped to 5-11 on the season as she took the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks while fanning one. Allison Cukrov moved to 19-5 on the season with the shutout win after giving up just three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Stony Brook's lone run in the bottom of the first would prove to be the game-winner as the Seawolves took game two by a score of 1-0. Karath started things with a bunt single before Alyssa Hawley's single through the left side moved Karath to second. Karath then stole third and scored soon after when Maloney reached on a Black Bear error.

Maine would fail to plate a run the rest of the way despite the solid defense and pitching from Spoehr who takes the hard luck loss and falls to 4-7 on the season. Spoehr went six innings while giving up six hits and just one run. Cukrov picked up her 20th win of the season as she tossed the complete game shutout while scattering six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

The Black Bears will look to grab the finale of the weekend series when the two teams meet up tomorrow morning at 11 a.m.

-U-M-