MANSFIELD, Conn. – The University of Southern Maine ended a 16-game losing streak at the hands of Eastern Connecticut State University by posting a pair of come-from-behind, one-run Little East Conference victories Saturday afternoon at the Eastern Softball Stadium.

Southern Maine (21-8-1, 6-4 LEC) freshman righty Sammi Goode shut out Eastern (12-20, 4-6 LEC) after spotting the Warriors a 2-0 first-inning lead in a 3-2 first-game victory, and came back to gain the second-game win by pitching the final  2 1/3 innings in relief in the Huskies' 9-8, eight-inning victory in the nightcap.

Photo by Olivia Morrison

Southern Maine has won six straight while the Warriors have dropped four in a row and nine of their last 14. The sweep moves USM two games behind idle leader Keene State College while Eastern falls into fifth place. The teams entered play sharing fourth place in the conference.

Despite having hit only eight home runs in their first 29 games, the Huskies slammed four against off three Eastern pitchers. Sophomore catcher Courtney Davis (Woburn, MA) hit her first two – one in each game – with senior first baseman Kat McKay (Mechanic Falls, ME) hitting her third and junior third baseman Shelby Obert blasting her second, both in the second game.

Davis' leadoff home run in the fifth was the difference in the first game, snapping a 2-2 tie. In the bottom of the sixth, Goode walked the two batters, but Davis picked a runner off first and Goode ended the threat with two ground balls.

Southern Maine snapped an 8-8 tie in the top of the eighth inning in the second game when Obert opened with a double, moved to third on sophomore centerfielder Amber Kelly's single and came home on a sacrifice fly by junior leftfielder Samantha Crosman.

Trailing 4-0 after two innings of the second game, the Huskies got three back in the fourth inning on McKay's three-run, two-out blast and  took and 8-4 lead by collecting five hits and two walks in a five-run fifth. Davis socked a two-run homer and Obert followed with a solo blast.

The Warriors got one back in the fifth on a single, two walks and a wild pitch and tied the game, 8-8, with three runs in the sixth.  No. 9 hitter Samantha Bardos (Norwalk) doubled with one out and came home on a wild pitch before senior third baseman Samantha Rentz (Griswold) greeted relief pitcher Goode with a two-run, game-tying blast off the left field foul pole.

Rentz had three hits in two games for Eastern, as did junior first baseman Gina Georgetti (Milford) and senior second baseman Danielle Robillard (Swansea, MA). Georgetti gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the first game with a two-out double.

Davis was 5-for-9 with three RBI and two runs, with McKay and Obert each collecting four hits each.  McKay drove in four runs and Obert had two doubles and a home run. Goode and Kelly combined to walk 12 batters, but only three came around to score.

On Seniors' Day, Eastern's six seniors were honored following the completion of the doubleheader:  Rentz, Robillard, Alyssa Hancock (Waterford), Taylor Smyth (Meriden), Emily Komornik (Shelton) and manager Vivian Nguyen (Hartford).

Eastern hosts Wesleyan University in a non-conference makeup doubleheader at noon.