GORHAM, MAINE 4/25/09 - The Keene State College women's softball team moved into third place in the Little East Conference with a 16-1 (five innings) and 4-1 doubleheader sweep against Southern Maine in Gorham on Saturday.

The Owls, who have won 12 out of their last 13 games, improve to 20-11-1 (8-3-1 LEC) while Southern Maine drops to 6-32 (4-10 LEC).

KSC sprayed 16 hits around Towers Field and got a complete game one-hitter from freshman Emily Albin (Bethel, Conn.) in the opener.

The Owls jumped out a to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on a RBI single by freshman Haley Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.) and a two-run error.

Freshman Laura Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.) open the second with a triple and scored on an error. Senior Katie Allenson (Clifton Park, N.Y.) added an RBI double as KSC went up 6-0.  Senior Jenna Patnode (Surry, N.H.) had a run scoring double as KSC extended its lead to 8-0 in the third.  An eight-run fourth inning included a two run double by junior Stephanie Lavado (Wallingford, Conn.) and a grand slam home run by Allenson.

Allenson finished the game with three hits and five RBIs while Patnode, senior Allie D'Amato (Bristol, Conn.), Laura and Haley Chandler, and freshman Samantha Pratt, (Bristol, Conn.) each had two hits.

Albin fanned two and didn't issue a walk on the way to improving her record to 4-3. Sarah Deroche got the only hit for USM in the second inning.

Pratt and freshman Courtney Savoie (Stratham, N.H.) combined a three-hitter in the nightcap.  Pratt went the first six in a third innings giving up one run on three hits. She struck out three and walked one to improve her record to 5-2.  Savoie got the final two outs of the game for her second save of the season.

A scoreless game after three innings, KSC took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. With one out, Allenson doubled and came home on a sacrifice fly by Haley Chandler. After USM tied the game in the bottom of the frame, KSC went up 2-1 in the fifth on a RBI triple to right by Patnode, who also had a stolen base in the game and is four shy of the school record of 36 in a season.

KSC added single runs in the sixth and seventh.  Sophomore Katie Bradford (Lebanon, N.H.) brought in a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and sophomore Ashley Annis (Gilford, N.H.) had a RBI single in the seventh.

Parnode and Allenson each had two hits for the Owls.

Keene State is at Eastern Conn. on Sunday for another LEC doubleheader.