Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Photo Gallery

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England rallied from three deficits on Saturday afternoon (Apr. 9) to come away with a doubleheader of victories (5-4, 6-5) over Endicott College in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Claude Dubois Field.

With the decisions, the Nor'easters equal the program-standard for record through 18 games (14-4), and improve to 5-1 in CCC outings. The Gulls fall for the first time in eight games, dropping to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in league play. It ended a seven-game regular-season skid for Big Blue against EC.

The top half (5) of the UNE lineup did its job all day, accounting for all 11 runs scored. Kelly Murphy, Sydney Helmbrecht, and Caroline Schoenbucher each had three hits over the course of the afternoon to pace the attack.

Endicott struck first in GAME 1, plating four unearned runs in the top of the 3rd inning with two outs. Julia McNeill broke the seal with an RBI-single through the left side, and Emily Hoffman soon followed with a double to left that drove in three more.

The Nor'easters got one back in the 4th on an infield single by Abby Lambert, and pulled to within 4-3 in the 6th as a two-out error opened the door for a pair to come across.

After the attempted tying run was thrown out at the plate early in the bottom of the 7th, an intentional walk loaded the bases for Murphy, who guided a single into the right-center gap to provide the hosts with a walk-off win.

It was Murphy's second hit of the contest that secured the fifth victory in the circle for Katelyn Austin, who fanned four and scattered nine hits and three walks.

Courtney Blake took the setback without conceding an earned run, but allowed nine of the 14 UNE players to reach base came in the final two frames. The Gulls received three hits from McNeill and Hoffman had two doubles.

All the scoring in GAME 2 came in the 3rd and 4th innings. Endicott first plated three that was matched by UNE, and then two runs by the visitors was topped by a three-spot from the home side.

Chrissy Gikas put down a bunt-single to put the Gulls ahead, 1-0, before an error and a wild pitch helped establish a 3-0 cushion. EC also left the bases loaded.

Following singles by Helmbrecht and Amanda Vallante, Murphy doubled down the line in left to get one back for the Nor'easters. An error netted another run before a fly-out double-play, but Lauren Jones registered a run-scoring single to knot things up.

Olivia Odermatt notched a lead-off double for Endicott in the 4th, stole third, and scored on the third hit of the contest for Casie Beauchemin. Two wild pitches in the subsequent at-bat and Beauchemin extended the gap to 5-3.

A bases-loaded walk by Andrea Gosper with one away in the bottom of the 4th pulled UNE closer, and with two down, Jones came through with a two-RBI single into center that knocked in Vallante and Murphy for what proved to be the deciding tallies. And, like their opponent an inning earlier, the Nor'easters stranded three on the bases to keep the margin at only one.

Lambert entered to pitch for the hosts and escaped second and third with one out in the 5th to hold the Gulls off the board. After giving up just a walk in the 6th, the UNE defense ensured a clean 7th to preserve the save.

Sophia Burnham was the pitcher-of-record for the Nor'easters, working an inning and 2/3 of relief. Helmbrecht, Schoenbucher, and Jones were joined by Paige Moore-Haskell with two hits in the match for the offense which left 10 runners on base.

Laura Sommerville took the loss for EC in 3 1/3 innings after the starter. Overall on the day, Jamie Corda had a pair of hits.

Next up for UNE will be a CCC twinbill at Roger Williams University on Sunday (12 p.m.).