By Sun Journal staff

GORHAM – Katie Mainville tied a school record for strikeouts (15) in the opening game, while Caitlin Stivaletta earned the win in the second game with five solid innings of relief pitching as the University of Southern Maine swept a softball doubleheader against Salem State Thursday.

Mainville fanned the first seven batters she faced en route to her record-tying performance. She gave up just four hits over seven innings of work and yielded just two walks in the victory. With Mainville holding the Viking offense at bay, the Huskies (11-9) scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning to take control of the game.

Danica Martin knocked an RBI double to right-center field to score Evon Hudspeth for the first run of the game, then Dawn Ross followed with an RBI single to score Martin. Ross then came around to score on a single from Farmingdale native Christen Lachapelle for the final run of the inning.

Salem State scored a run in the top of the third when Sarah Funk, who doubled in her at-bat, came around to score off an RBI single from Meghan Ward. The Huskies countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning on Hudspeth’s RBI single for a 4-1 lead.

In the nightcap, Salem State jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings as Cindy Gill, Meaghan Neenan and Samantha Clark each collected RBI hits off of USM’s Ross.

Bates, Amherst split

AMHERST, Mass. – Katie Franklin hit a two-run double in the top of the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie, and the Bates softball team held on the beat Amherst 3-2 in the first game of a NESCAC doubleheader on Thursday. Amherst came back with an 8-0 win in the second game for the split at Hill Field.

Franklin’s two-out double to left-center scored Caitlin Murphy and Val Beckwith for a 3-1 lead. Amherst scored a run in the bottom of the eighth off Bates started Kristin Masino, but Masino struck out the Lord Jeff’s final batter to preserve the win.

Masino gave up only two unearned runs on eight hits and struck out four batters, outdueling Amherst’s MiyaWarner, who allowed three runs, two earned, and struck out eight Bobcats. Murphy was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. She singled up the middle in the sixth inning and later scored on a throwing error. Beckwith went 1-for-3 on the day.

UNE sweeps Thomas

BIDDEFORD – Karcha Turne’s bad-hop single scored Lisa Baillargeon and Michaela O’Rourke in the home half of the seventh inning, giving the University of New England a 3-2 walk-off victory over Thomas College and a sweep of a non-conference doubleheader.

Baillargeon had three hits and two runs scored in the opener, and the Nor’easters (12-7) broke things open in the fifth with six runs on their way to a 10-3 win. In the nightcap, Baillargeon started the Nor’easters seventh-inning rally by reaching on an error. O’Rourke followed with a bunt single, which advanced both runners on the ensuing throwing error. After a strikeout, Turner hit a hard shot down the third-base line which hopped over the third baseman’s glove, giving UNE its eighth win in the last 10 games.

BC 9, Maine 7

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Jenna Macchi belted a two-run double to spark a six-run fifth inning for Boston College as the Eagles rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the University of Maine, 9-7, in regional softball action Thursday.

The Black Bears (24-14) were first to score when Ashley Waters belted a solo homer in the top of the first. In the third inning, Waters led off with a walk and scored on a two-run home run by Brittany Cheney. This gave Maine a 3-0 advantage.

The Eagles got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when Renee Ramos drilled a two-run single, reducing Maine’s lead to one. Boston College then exploded for six runs in the fifth to take a commanding 8-3 lead.

Maine rallied to score four runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by Erin Provost’s three-run home run. This cut the Eagles’ lead to 8-7, then they added an insurance run in the sixth when Anne Filer scored on an error.

Men’s lacrosse

UMass-Boston 11, USM 6

GORHAM – Chris Nyman scored three goals, including two during the decisive third period, and added an assist to lead the University of Massachusetts at Boston to an 11-6 victory over the University of Southern Maine in men’s lacrosse action Thursday.

Clinging to a slim 4-3 lead after USM freshman Garett Shaw scored early in the third quarter, the Beacons (4-2) scored scored four straight goals to take an 8-3 advantage into the final period. Robert Thayer and Robert Black scored the first two Beacon goals before Nyman found the net twice.

The Huskies (1-6) closed back to within three (8-5) on goals by Jeff Donovan and Shaw in the first six minutes of the first quarter.

Women’s lacrosse

USM 14, RIC 11

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Virginia Flood scored seven goals and added two assists to lead the University of Southern Maine to a 14-11, come-from-behind victory over Rhode Island College in women’s lacrosse action Thursday.

Flood, who’s seven-goal game was her second of the season, equaled the school single-game record for points with nine. The Anchorwomen (2-10) got on the board first with goals by Caitlin Gavin and Melissa Reggio early in the game. The Huskies (4-6) were trailing 6-3 late in the first half until Flood netted two goals in the final minutes to pull the Huskies within one goal at the break.

The game was delayed for an hour at halftime due to thunder and lightning. When play resumed, Gavin and Reggio each scored in the first 5:49 of the second half before Southern Maine caught fire. Flood scored five times and Sarah Trent netted two goals as the Huskies rallied from an 8-5 deficit to tie the game at 9-9, then pulled away.