Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – Graduate righty Bri Melchionda tossed a two-hitter with nine strikeouts as fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston avenged two one-run loss to top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University less than a week ago in a 6-1 victory at the Little East Conference Softball Tournament Thursday morning at Clyde Washburne Field.
Defending tournament champion Eastern (20-17), which drew a first-round bye Wednesday, faces fifth-seeded Western Connecticut State University (24-19) in an elimination game
Saturday at 2 p.m. and needs three additional wins to successfully defend its 2024 championship.
Third-seeded Plymouth State University (28-14) is the only remaining unbeaten in the original field of six in the double-elimination tournament. The Panthers are 3-0, defeating UMass Boston in the winners' bracket final Thursday night, 7-1.
If Eastern eliminates Western Connecticut Saturday at 2 p.m., it must then defeat UMass Boston Saturday at 4:30 p.m., then down Plymouth State twice on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. to gain the title. If Eastern does not defeat Western and UMass Boston on Saturday, then either Western or UMass Boston would face Plymouth State in Saturday's third game at 7 p.m. A Plymouth loss in that game forces a deciding game Sunday at 10 a.m.
Melchionda (9-3), an LEC Player-of-the-Year candidate, carried a perfect game and a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning against Eastern before sophomore rightfielder
Reagan Lalor (Danbury) belted her first home run. After allowing an infield single by senior first baseman
Maggie Rubeck (Easthampton, MA), Melchionda allowed only one baserunner the rest of the way when losing pitcher
Elizabeth Mitchell (Coventry) reached on an infield error with one out in the seventh. Seven of Melchionda's final ten outs came via strikeout.
With two out and none on in the fourth, UMass took 2-0 lead on Lauren Miner's two-run double. The Beacons made it 3-0 in the sixth on cleanup hitter Hayley Krockta's third home run of the season – a one-out solo shot to center – and tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh on doubles by No. 9 hitter Ella Delisle and Belchionda (a two-run, two-out shot to right-center), and Krockta's RBI single.
