May 14, 2005
BABSON PARK, Mass. - Senior Elyse Colby (Manchester, N.H.) scored the game-winning run in the top of the seventh and sophomore Robyn Savitske (Hellertown, Pa.) recorded two of her 14 strikeouts in the bottom of the inning to lead Endicott College to a dramatic 6-5 victory over the University of Maine-Farmington in game five of the 2005 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament New England Regional at Babson College on Saturday morning. Endicott (34-3-1) will now take on either Bridgewater State or host Babson in the 4 p.m. game later today, while UMaine-Farmington (19-14) sees its outstanding season come to a close.
In a back-and-forth contest, Endicott grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when first-year Rachel Pearson (Gales Ferry, Conn.) and senior Katie Doherty (Saugus, Mass.) recorded back-to-back doubles to start the inning. The Gulls then increased their advantage to 4-0 in the third, as Colby drilled a three-run homer over the wall in left, scoring first-year Paula McGinn (Lynn, Mass.) and senior Megan Young (Portland, Maine) ahead of her.
Refusing to go quietly, UMaine-Farmington came back with three runs in the bottom of the third to cut its deficit to 4-3. Junior Brandi Rideout (Mattawamkeag, Maine) drove in classmate Kristi Cochin (Springvale, Maine) with an RBI-double to left center, and, two batters later, first-year Kelly McDonough (Windham, Maine) shot a two-run single into right center, scoring Rideout and first-year Megan Goodrow (Oakland, Maine).
Colby pushed Endicott's lead back to two in the fifth, as she singled and later scored on an error. However, UMaine-Farmington answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, beginning with an RBI-double to center by Rideout that scored junior Mary Berry (Norridgewock, Maine), who had led off the inning with a triple. Rideout then moved to third on an infield hit by McDonough and came home on a clutch two-out single to right by sophomore Holly Tripp (Ellsworth, Maine), tying the contest at 5-5.
Endicott secured the winning run in the top of the seventh, when Colby led off with a single and later scored all the way from first on UMaine-Farmington's fourth miscue of the game - a throwing error that went deep into the right field corner. That would prove to be enough for Savitske, who allowed a two-out single by Tripp in the bottom of the seventh before fanning first-year Emily Davis (Cumberland, Maine) for the game's final out.
Overall, Savitske (22-1) allowed five earned runs on 13 hits while striking out 14 in seven innings of work. First-year Meagen Carman (Unity, Maine) was shouldered with the loss for UMaine-Farmington, despite allowing no earned runs in four innings of relief. Colby finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs to lead the Endicott offense, while Berry recorded three hits in four at-bats to pace UMaine-Farmington.
Story courtesy of Babson Sports Information Office
