BANGOR, Maine – The No. 19 Husson University softball captured its eighth-consecutive North Atlantic Conference Championship in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Thomas College, 18-0, in five innings at O'Keefe Field.
The Eagles improved to 36-4 on the season behind an explosive offensive performance that featured 18 hits and scoring in all four offensive innings. Husson also received a stellar effort in the circle from junior Ana Lang, who tossed a five-inning no-hitter with six strikeouts to improve to 23-3 on the season.
Husson (36-4) jumped in front early with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. After freshman Sophia Lynch reached on an error and senior Morgan Tainter singled, senior Emily Dunbar ripped a two-run double down the right field line to score both runners. Freshman Jetta Shook followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
The Eagles broke the game open with a six-run second inning. Senior Morgan Curtis led off the frame with a double before junior Camryn King and Tainter each delivered hits to plate runs. Shook later drove in two more with a double and eventually scored on a groundout by senior Tayler Watterson as Husson built a 9-0 advantage.
Husson added three more runs in the third inning as Tainter doubled home Curtis, senior Lydia Rice tripled to bring in Tainter, and Dunbar added another RBI double to push the lead to 12-0.
The Eagles closed out the scoring with a six-run fourth inning. Curtis doubled in a run before King and Lynch each added RBI singles. Tainter drove in another run with a sacrifice fly before Dunbar capped the afternoon with a two-run home run to left field.
Tainter finished a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two doubles, while Dunbar went 3-for-3 with five RBIs, two doubles, and a home run. Curtis added three hits and scored three times, while Rice scored three runs and drove in one. Shook contributed three RBIs, and King recorded two hits, two runs scored, and an RBI.
Lang earned tournament MVP honors and retired 15 of the 16 batters she faced, allowing only a hit batter in the fourth inning as the Terriers (21-20) were held hitless throughout the contest.
The Eagles capped off a historic weekend by setting numerous program records throughout the NAC tournament, as Lang surpassed the single-season records for wins (21) and strikeouts (259) and King set a new single-season record for runs scored with 50.
Additionally, with the win on Saturday, head softball coach Rick Roberts collected the 100th victory of his head coaching career, making him the fastest coach in Husson softball history to pick up 100 wins.
The Eagles will now await their regional site for the upcoming NCAA Division III Softball Tournament, which will be announced on Monday at 11 a.m. on the NCAA website, with regional action getting underway on Thursday.
