Box Score
BOSTON –  The hitting was not as robust as it had been in Thursday's two opening wins of the 2024 Little East Conference softball tournament, but it didn't need to be, thanks to the three-hit pitching of graduate righty Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) that moved third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University to within a win of its eighth title in 14 years following a 2-0 victory over fifth-seeded University of Southern Maine on the third day of the double-elimination tournament at the UMB Softball Field.

The 5-foot-3 inch Vilchez (19-8), the LEC tournament MVP in 2021 and last year's LEC Player-of-the-Year, recorded her fifth shutout of the season – fourth against LEC opponents – to help carry Eastern (22-16-1) into the tournament's championship round for the fifth straight year, with the Warriors looking for their fourth title in that stretch.

The tournament's only unbeaten team, Eastern needs one win in two tries beginning Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to secure the title. In Saturday's first game, Southern Maine (27-12) meets fourth-seeded Rhode Island College (31-11). That winner advances to the championship round against Eastern at 1:30 p.m. A deciding game, if necessary, is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.

The Anchorwomen advanced to meet Southern Maine by eliminating top seed University of Massachusetts Boston, 2-0, in Friday's final game. UMass Boston's Bri Melchionda had a no-hitter with two out and none on in the seventh inning of a scoreless game before RIC scored twice on three hits, both runs scoring on Amanda Conti's two-run  single. RIC has won three straight in the tournament after being shut out by USM, 7-0, in the only game played Wednesday.

In the rubber match this year between Eastern and USM Friday, Vilchez pitched her 19^th consecutive complete game and 20^th in 23 starts this year, defeating USM with a complete-game effort for the second time in as many starts this year. Southern Maine, which had won eight of its last ten prior to Friday, got a two-out single by No. 3 hitter Madi Day in the first and nothing else until No. 2 hitter Abby Miner's leadoff double in the sixth.

Following Day's single through the left side of the infield in the first, Vilchez retired ten straight until running into trouble when she carried a 2-0 lead into the fifth. In that inning, Vilchez walked the bases loaded, but emerged unscathed when she struck out the side, ending the threat by getting leadoff hitter Belle Snyder on a 2-2 pitch that left the bases jammed.

The Huskies threatened again in their final at-bat. With one out and Meaghan Dufresne on first (after recording USM's third and final hit of the day), pinch hitter Mackenzie Renner lofted a fly ball to the right side of the infield that was lost in the sun by Eastern junior second baseman Maddi Sauve (Mansfield). Though Dufresne got a late start because of the routine nature of the popup, she was initially signaled safe on the heads-up throw from Eastern junior centerfielder Maggie Baker (Hudson, MA) backing up the play to sophomore shortstop Emma Marelli (Waterford) covering second, but the call was changed following a brief conference. Vilchez ended the game by getting No. 9 hitter Olivia Levasseur to pop out to Marelli.

Sophomore Lexus McIntosh (15-6), who had gone the five-inning distance to defeat Eastern,13-5, with a seven-hitter during the regular season at Washburne Field, matched Vilchez with a three-hitter Friday but the Warriors were able to scratch out an unearned run in the second inning on a hit and infield error, and another run in the fourth on two hits. Leadoff doubles by Sauve in the second and graduate third baseman Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) in the fourth set up both runs, with balls off the bat of senior rightfielder Sarah Remillard (Grafton, MA) sending in both runners.

In the second, Sauve doubled for the Warriors' first hit off McIntosh and she came around from second when Remillard's sacrifice bunt was thrown past first base; in the fourth, SanGiovanni extended her program record record for doubles to 58 and pinch runner Reagan Lalor (Danbury) raced home on Remillard's one-out single to left.

Vilchez struck out five and walked three while McIntosh fanned three and walked one. The win was Vilchez' 36^th in her career and moves her into a three-way tie for tenth all-time.
The LEC leader this year in fielding percentage, Eastern has committed only one error, and has batted .324 while Vilchez has limited her opponent to .208 and one extra-base hit in 19 innings.  Remillard is batting .667 (4-for-6) and has reached six times and scored three runs. Baker is batting .500 (5-for-10) with five RBI and two runs; SanGiovanni .444 (4-for-9, all extra-base hits); junior first baseman Maggie Rubeck (Easthampton, MA) has driven in three runs, Sauve and Marelli have each scored three runs and have collected two hits each, and Vilchez has reached five times with two hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. The Warriors have stolen nine of ten bases and opponents only three.

Eastern has met USM (2021) and Rhode Island College (2011) once each in the LEC tournament championship round, winning both times.