Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Photo Gallery

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Anna Sessa drove a single back up the middle with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th inning to give the University of New England a 4-3 victory over Bowdoin College in the opener of a softball doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon (Apr. 27) at Claude Dubois Field. The Polar Bears then claimed the nightcap by a 6-1 margin.

The Nor'easters (25-13) have shared results with Bowdoin (19-14-2) each of last five seasons.

UNE will now prepare for the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship, which begins this weekend. Big Blue is scheduled to take the field on Monday against either Roger Williams University or Gordon College in Game 3 of the double elimination tournament from the campus of Western New England University.

GAME 1 was level at 3-all entering the last frame, and Sophia Burnham retired the visitors, in order, to set her side up for the last-chance win. Sydney Helmbrecht doubled to left-center to start the at-bat, and a one-out walk by Avery Alberghini filled things up after an error. Sessa jumped on the second pitch she saw and got it past the diving shortstop into center, sending Helmbrecht down the base path with the deciding run.

Back at the beginning of the contest, the Nor'easters went ahead 1-0 in the 1st as Alberghini led-off with a single and later scored an unearned run. There was an opportunity for more, but the session ended on a bases-loaded double play.

The Polar Bears briefly swung the advantage in their favor during the 3rd. Lauren Nguyen put down a bunt single to start things and later stole second with two away. Caroline Rice then doubled to right-center to tie it and Julia Geaumont followed another RBI-double to make it 2-1.

UNE knotted the match in the bottom of the stanza on a one-out double down the line in left by Amanda Vallante that plated Alberghini. In the 5th, Alberghini's third hit (triple) led to her third run scored, courtesy of an ensuing sacrifice bunt by Sessa.

Bowdoin threatened to have a big inning in the 6th, as four grounded singles even it up with no outs. Geaumont and Katie Gately notched their second hits of the game before Lauren O'Shea tallied the RBI. Burnham, however, who entered at the top of the frame, received a double play from her infield and fanned the next batter with three pitches to get out of the jam.

Burnham (4-2) had taken over for Katelyn Austin, who left with the lead after five innings and four strikeouts.

Rice and Ali Miller also shared in the team-high of two hits for the Polar Bears, who out-performed their opponent in the category, 11-6. Geaumont was charged with the loss.

Bowdoin wasted no time getting in front in GAME 2, scoring three in the top of the 1st. With one on and one out, Geaumont lined an RBI-double into the right-center gap to drive in Miller with the first of her two runs. The second came as Gately put an RBI-single to right that plated Rice.

Both pitchers breezed through the next 18 outs of the match until UNE batted in the 4th. That's when the Nor'easters cut the spread to 3-1 with a lead-off double by Alberghini and a one-out double to right-center from Vallante.

The Polar Bears did not need a hit to restore the cushion in the 5th, and tacked on another to make it 5-1 in the 6th, courtesy of a two-out RBI-triple to right by Miller. One more in the 7th set the final separation, as Geaumont clocked another double to advance Rice -- who reached with a single -- into position to cross on a wild pitch.

Geaumont registered half (3) of her squad's hits on offense, while Emily Griffin surrendered just as many to UNE while striking out six on the way to her fifth win in the circle. Samantha Roy supported with a clean 7th against the Nor'easters, whiffing two.

For the hosts, Melissa Sprague took the setback in four innings, allowing just one earned run with four strikeouts. Sydnee Bessler punched out another four down the stretch against two earned runs. Ali Kuechler recorded the remaining hit for UNE.