FARMINGTON – Mckell Barnes (Durham, ME) clubbed a three-run walk-off home run in the seventh inning as third-seeded University of Maine at Farmington ousted No. 6 Johnson State College 4-1 in the first round of the North Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament today at Prescott Field.
The Beavers (15-11) advance to face No. 2 Thomas College (13-16-1) in the double-elimination championship round Friday at noon at Husson University. The Badgers finished their season at 9-18.
With the game knotted at 1-1 after six-and-a-half innings, Kasey McPhail (Benton, ME) was hit by a pitch and Erin Porter (Bangor, ME) singled to set the stage for Barnes. The sophomore clubbed her program single-season record 10th homer.
Liz Bergeron (Milford, ME) earned the victory for Farmington with a complete-game effort. The senior tossed a three-hitter with four free passes and three strikeouts.
Scoreless after five innings, the Badgers struck first with Lauren Wallace (Hyde Park, VT) scoring on a throwing error on a Kayla Golfin (Castleton, VT) grounder for a 1-0 edge for the visitors. The Beavers’ Samantha Morency (Lewiston, ME) followed in the bottom half of the frame with a solo home run to even the score at 1-1.
Allie Cunningham (Manchester, NH) was hit with the complete-game loss for Johnson State. Cunningham scattered nine hits with a walk and a strikeout and battled her way out of bases-loaded situation in the fifth.
Barnes finished with a single to go along with her home run, while McPhail and Porter each singled twice and Casandra Dyer (Freeport, ME) slugged a double.
Julie Gervais (Enosburg Falls, VT) singled and doubled for the Badgers, while Cunningham also had a double.
