Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England softball team began its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) schedule with two wins Tuesday afternoon (Mar. 27), defeating Gordon College by scores of 8-0 (6 innings) and 7-4 in the cold wind at Claude Dubois Field.

The Nor'easters have now won five straight outings, increasing their record to 8-4 (2-0 CCC). The Fighting Scots drop to 4-10 overall and 2-2 in league games. Big Blue has taken 10 consecutive meetings between the teams.

UNE first-year pitcher Kelly Reid (Nantucket, Mass.) improved her own mark to 4-1 with the shutout in game one, striking out six while scattering five hits and two walks.

Senior Ashley Gott (Winterport, Maine) started the bottom of the 1st inning with a double down the left-field line -- the first of her two hits in the game -- and later scored to get Big Blue going. The Nor'easters sent runners across the plate in five of the six frames to keep building the lead.

Eight different players scored for UNE, which drew nine walks off of Gordon pitching.

After a scoreless 1st inning of game two, Big Blue struck for three runs in the bottom of the 2nd -- all off the bat of sophomore Allie Frazier (Tewksbury, Mass.). With sophomore Kirstyn Tracey (Hope Valley, R.I.) on and two outs, a walk by senior Maegen Johnson (Standish, Maine) and infield single by sophomore Lauren Rousseau (Biddeford, Maine) loaded things up. Frazier then cleared the bases with a double to right.

The Fighting Scots got one back in the next stanza, courtesy of an RBI-triple off the wall in right by first-year Rachel Ryder (Telford, Pa.).

But the Nor'easters pushed the margin to six (7-1) with another four runs in the last half of the 3rd. With three aboard, Johnson curled a two-out double down the right-field line to plate a pair, and following a walk, Frazier upped her RBI total to five (+2) with a single to center.

UNE and Frazier looked primed to end things early with the bases loaded again in the 5th, but a hard liner down towards third base turned into an unassisted double play by Gordon senior Kerry McPartlan (Yonkers, N.Y.), ending the threat.

The Fighting Scots made some noise late after getting one in the 6th and another with two down in the 7th, before Ryder trimmed the difference to three (7-4) with an RBI-single up the middle. Gordon managed to move the tying run to the plate, but a ground out sealed the decision.

Big Blue senior pitcher Julie Bigelow (Montpelier, Vt.) was charged with just one earned run in chalking her third win of the season, as she fanned two and surrendered eight hits.

Johnson and Tracey each scored twice for UNE, and Rousseau finished 2-for-2 at the plate in the nightcap.

Ryder and senior Rachel Otto (Plymouth, N.H.) had three hits apiece for Gordon on the day. Seniors Claire Bennett (Mumford, N.Y.) and Hannah Lawrence (Somerset, Mass.) took the losses in the circle for the Fighting Scots, who travel to Roger Williams University on Friday (3 p.m.).

The Nor'easters get back to it on Saturday with a visit to Curry College (1 p.m.).