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BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Arianna Ramsaran (CCC 3rd Team) drove a pair of solo home runs over the fence in left-center, and Caitlin Catalanotto surrendered just four singles and a walk, as eighth-seeded Gordon College edged No.5 University of New England by a 2-0 margin in the opening round (Game 1 of 13) of the 2018 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Softball Championship on Friday afternoon (Apr. 27) at the UNE Softball Field.

For the second year in-a-row, the Fighting Scots (11-21) advance from the No.8 line into the double elimination phase of the tournament. Gordon will square off against No.4 Salve Regina University on Saturday in Beverly, Mass. for Game 3 of the championship. [Interactive Bracket]

The Nor'easters wrap up the campaign with a 17-20 overall ledger. 

After Ramsaran put the visitors up 1-0 on the third pitch of the game, Catalanotto benefited from inning-ending double-plays to survive the bottom of the 1st and 3rd. Meanwhile, UNE pitcher Sydnee Bessler (CCC 1st Team) got 10 of her first 12 outs by strikeout to maintain the spread while conceding another hit and a few walks.

Catalanotto worked 1-2-3 innings during the 5th and 6th, before Ramsaran lofted her team-leading seventh homer of the season with two away in the top of the 7th.

The Nor'easters got runners to second and third with one out in their last chance, with hits by Caroline Schoenbucher (CCC 2nd Team) and Meg Harvey (CCC 3rd Team), but a strikeout and flyout sealed the result. 

The victory for Catalanotto, who fanned four batters, was number six on the year. Out of Gordon's five hits, Kristen Brown matched Ramsaran with two of them.

Bessler finished with a career-high 13 strikeouts -- good for a program game-record in CCC Championship action (47 contests). Her 2018 effort featured the most strikeouts (183) by a UNE hurler on-record (24+ seasons), as well as the most innings pitched (184.1). She tied the school-record over that time with 17 winning decisions, which included the first no-hitter since 2007.

Entering the day, Bessler ranked sixth in Division III for victories and ninth in strikeouts.