Box Score

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Colby College took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the 6th and finished off a 3-2 victory over the University of New England in softball action Wednesday afternoon (Apr. 1) at Claude Dubois Field.

Julie Saul went the distance to get the win for the Mules (4-7), scattering four hits and three walks while striking out five.

Abby Lambert took the setback for the Nor'easters (7-8), surrendering one earned run over six innings on five hits and two walks.

UNE jumped in front right out of the gate, as Sydney Helmbrecht led off with a single up the middle, stole second and third base, and scored on a wild pitch with two outs.

Colby leveled things at 1-1 in the last half of the 1st, when Emily Schatz laced a one-out double to the left field fence to score Meaghan Lewia, who began the inning with an infield single.

The score remained tied through the next four frames, despite both sides getting a runner to third base along the way. The Nor'easters then had runners at the corners in the top of the 6th after a two-out infield single by Kelly Murphy, but could not take the lead.

Tori Sansone -- who had a pair of singles in the contest -- reached with a one-out walk for the Mules in the 6th, before back-to-back errors on sacrifice bunts allowed Sansone to plate the go-ahead run for Colby. The next batter, Katherine Zafirson, lofted a sacrifice fly to right to up the margin to 3-1.

UNE made things interesting in the 7th, as Cat Ouellette guided a one-out triple into the right-center gap and scored on the ensuing groundout to make it 3-2. Saul, however, got the next hitter to flyout to right to end the game.

Colby, which was originally scheduled to host the match on Tuesday, served as the home team.

The Mules are scheduled to entertain a three-game weekend series with Trinity College (Conn.) beginning on Friday (4 p.m.).

UNE returns to the diamond on Thursday (3 p.m.) for a doubleheader against UMaine Farmington.