|
Softball Eliminated from America East Tournament
May 12, 2006 ORONO, Maine - The University of Maine softball team was eliminated from the 2006 America East Tournament on Friday with a 5-1 loss to UMBC at Kessock Field. The top-seeded Black Bears, who were crowned the America East regular season champions this season, concluded the campaign with a 35-19 record. UMBC improved to 46-19 with the win. The 2006 season was one of the greatest in program history. The Black Bears set the school record for wins in a season with 35 and won a conference title for just the third time in program history. First-year head coach Stacey Sullivan was named the conference coach of the year, while redshirt freshman pitcher Jenna Balent (Conifer, Colo.) was named the league's rookie of the year. In addition to Balent, three other Black Bears made the All-America East First-Team, including seniors Brittany Cheney (Abington, Mass.), Sarah Bennis (Pownal, Maine) and Amy Kuhl (Phoenix, Ariz.). Senior Erin Provost (Peru, N.Y.) was named to the second-team, while second baseman Ashley Waters (Amesbury, Mass.) was named to the all-rookie team. UMBC took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but Maine rallied to tie it in the third on a solo home run by Provost. However, UMBC answered with a homer in the bottom of the frame by Melanie Denischuck to take a 2-1 lead and never trail the rest of the way. The Retrievers tacked on a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to extend their lead.
Balent suffered the loss and concluded her season with a 14-12 record. She yielded two earned runs on three hits in five innings of work. She struck out seven and walked three.
|
