McCloskey Leads MMA To Split Against Newbury

The Maine Maritime Academy Lady Mariners lost their first game of the season after splitting Friday afternoon’s double-header in Chestnut Hill, MA. After winning the first game of the day 11-1, the Nighthawks held the prolific Mariner offense to just a single run in the second game, winning 2-1.

Maine Maritime got to game one starter freshman Rebecca Roach (Charlton, MA/Shepherd Hills Regional) early in the contest. Sophomore catcher Kayla Higgins (Sullivan, ME), who was 2-for-4 with four RBIs, drove in the Mariners first run of the game in the top of the first. Although the Nighthawks tied up the score in the bottom half of the inning, the Mariners responded with a run in the second and two in the third to take the 4-1 lead, knocking Roach out of the game.

Freshman Katie O’Hara (Abingdon, MD/John Carroll) came on in relief of Roach and retired the first four batters she faced by way of the strikeout – including catching three of them looking at strike three. O’Hara finished the game with seven strike outs in four innings of work but did not escape unscathed allowing seven runs – only four earned – on eight hits.

Freshman hurler, Casey McCloskey (Howland, ME), improved to 3-0 on the season, pitching seven innings and giving up one run on six hits while striking out eight batters. Mallery Stanley (Standish, ME) collected a team high three hits while Higgins and Nicole Poland (Damariscotta, ME) had two hits each.

After the Mariners jumped on the board early once again in the second game, the Nighthawks answered with two runs of their own. Senior shortstop Katelyn Mark (Quincy, MA/North Quincy) led off the bottom half of the frame lining a double down the third baseline. Fellow senior, right fielder Jessica Jordan (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham) followed up with a base hit to send Mark to third with no outs in the inning. Starting pitcher freshman Sarah Young (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo) helped her own cause, reaching on second baseman junior Mallery Stanley’s (Standish, ME) fielding error, driving in Mark to knot up the score at one and send Jordan to third with no one out. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Ariel Ross (Gales Ferry, CT/Ledyard) plated Jordan to give the Nighthawks the one-run advantage with a ground ball to shortstop.

Young kept the Mariners off the board for the next five innings, allowing just one run in six innings of work while scattering six hits and striking out two. O’Hara came on in relief and recorded her first save of the season, pitching a one-two-three seventh, fanning two Mariner batters.

In addition to timely hitting and solid pitching performances in the second game, the Nighthawks received quality defense in the field. Freshman centerfielder Brittany Stracher (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hills Regional) highlighted the Newbury defense robbing Stanley of extra bases, on a deep drive to centerfield to lead off the top of the fifth inning. It was her only putout of the game.

The double-header split improves the Nighthawks to 5-9 on the season while the Mariners drop to 6-1.