By the Beacon Sports Staff

The SMCC softball team took Yankee Small College Conference powerhouse New Hampshire Technical Institute to the edge Saturday in the YSCC championship game, dropping a hard-fought game 2-1 in Portsmouth, NH, Saturday.

The Lady Wolves would get on the scoreboard in the first inning when Miranda Martin made the trip around the bases. Martin would be hit by a pitch to start the journey then steal second as Morgan Boyle battled her way to first via a walk. Emily Lashua would ground out, setting up a run-batted-in scenario when Sara Ring singled to center, advancing Boyle to second and pushing Martin across home plate.

The Wolves were not able to continue their first inning offensive push as Kahli Philibotte lined out to shortstop and Aleisha Cross grounded out to third base.

The NHTI Lynx would level the scoring in the bottom of the second inning on an error by SeaWolf centerfielder Morgan Boyle. The Lynx would send five batters to the plate in their half of the inning, stranding a base runner.

Left and Middle: Sara Ring and Morgan Boyle proudly display their YSCC All -Conference softball plaques. Right: Miranda Martin displays her Most Valuable Player plaque. PHOTOS courtesy of YSCC

SeaWolf starting pitcher Emily Chase would go four innings, striking out one batter and allowing five hits. Over the course of the third and fourth inning, Chase would be helped by defense plays that thwarted NHTI’s offense pushes.

In the bottom of the fourth, NHTI threatened to pad their tenuous one-run lead as the first two batters reached base safely. SMCC would get out of the inning when the next NHTI batter hit into a fielder’s choice and shortstop Wylie Bedard threw the NHTI runner out at third base. 

Again, NHTI threatened in the bottom of the fifth inning when Chase allowed a double down the left-field line. SMCC Player and Pitcher of the Year Meranda Martin came into replace Chase.

The first batter Martin faced laid down a sacrifice bunt, pushing her teammate to third and setting up a run-denying play at the plate when Bedard threw out an NHTI runner at the plate.   

The Lynx’s next batter would steal third after walking, advancing to second. She would be left on base when as Martin would record her first of three strikeouts in relief pitching.

The sixth inning saw the SeaWolves advance a runner to third with two outs. Boyle would be left at third as Philibotte flew out to center field.

Yet again, NHTI would generate action on the base paths in the bottom of the sixth. With two out and a runner on third, Martin would end the inning with her third strikeout, stymieing the Lynx’s designs to push the go ahead run across the plate.

The top of the seventh inning saw the SeaWolves mount a two-out rally that would fall short of scoring the go ahead run. Cross would start the inning off with a ground out to the pitcher, after which Jordan Boucher would single to center field. Boucher would be replaced on the base paths with Jaden Morin, who would be caught attempting to steal second base.

Chase would start the two-out rally by gaining first base with a walk, after which Bedard would single to centerfield. With runners at first and second, Martin would load the bases when she was hit by a pitch.

SMCC’s hunt for the go ahead run would fall short as Boyle would hit into a fielder’s choice and Martin was thrown out at second.

Olivia Langevin would start the seventh with a single to left field, advance to second on a single by teammate Brianna Whitcomb and advance to third on a sacrifice bunt by Brianna Connolly. With no outs and first base open, NHTI Lynx Alison Brown drew a walk, loading the bases. Langevin would score the winning run on a sacrifice fly to left field and the Lynx would survive a tightly fought game by the Lady SeaWolves.

The Beacon would like to congratulate Sara Ring and Meranda Martin for being named to the YSCC All-Conference team. Martin would also be named YSCC Player and Pitcher of the Year.