PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior Kay LaBrie (Somersworth, N.H.) scored from third base on an infield grounder by sophomore Heather Blase (Milford, N.H.) to cap a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday evening as Plymouth State University defeated Keene State College, 10-9, in the second game of a Little East Conference softball doubleheader at D&M Park.

            The Owls captured the opener in the final inning, scoring four runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull out an 8-4 victory. Sophomore Laura Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.) led the way for the Owls, hitting for the cycle.  Plymouth State had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead before Keene State came back with one run in the sixth inning and four in the seventh.  The doubleheader split leaves PSU with a 10-13 overall record and 3-3 mark in the Little East, while KSC is now 15-10-1 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

            A two-run home run by sophomore Elizabeth McNamara (Londonderry, N.H.) in the second inning and a solo shot by Chandler in the third gave the Owls the early lead in the opener.  The Panthers got on the board with a pair in the fourth inning on a two-run single by sophomore Amy Green (Atkinson, N.H./Timberlane Regional) and took the lead in the last of the fifth on a two-run double by senior Sammi Romano (Kingston, N.H./Sanborn Regional).

            The Owls came back to tie the game in the sixth inning on an RBI double from freshman Jessica Fiorenza (Wakefield, Mass.).  Chandler completed her cycle when she tripled to lead off the KSC seventh inning. Sophomore Katie Bradford (Lebanon, N.H.) brought home a run with a sacrifice fly and classmate Sara Stocklinski (Newton, N.J.) and senior Stephanie Lavado (Wallingford, Conn.) followed with RBI hits to seal the win for the Owls.  Sophomore Samantha Pratt (Bristol, Conn.) picked up the win in relief, improving to 3-1.

            Sophomore Haley Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.) led off the second game with a home run for KSC.  Freshman Jenn Bove (Medford, Mass.) evened the score with an RBI single in the second inning, but Keene State regained the lead with two runs in the top of the third, capped by an RBI single by freshman Nicole Dupuis (Fitchburg, Mass.).

            Things started getting crazy in the fifth inning as PSU took the lead with four runs. Junior Kortney Nedeau (Kennebunk, Maine) cracked her LEC-leading seventh home run of the year, a two-run shot, and two more runs came home on a single to left by senior Rachel Pothier (Reading, Mass.), putting PSU ahead, 5-3.

            Keene State responded with six runs in the sixth inning to pull ahead, 9-5.  Junior Heather Harold (Newton, N.J.) hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer, Bradford walked with the bases loaded and Dupuis delivered a two-run double to highlight the rally.

            The Panthers would not go quietly.  They plated two runs in the last of the sixth on a two-out, two-run single by junior Andrea Pydynkowski (Danvers, Mass.) to cut the margin to 9-7.  Then in the seventh, the first three Panther batters reached to load the bases.  A fielder's choice cut down a potential PSU run at the plate, but sophomore Allie Luisi's (North Kingstown, R.I.) fourth hit of the game for PSU scored one run and the tying run came home on a KSC error.  Blase's infield grounder then plated the winning run for PSU.

            Both teams play non-conference doubleheaders on Thursday, Plymouth State traveling to Framingham State and Keene State hosting Fitchburg State.

(Courtesy PSU Sports Information)