Softball

Top Seeds Advance on First Day of #AESB Championship

BOSTON – On the opening day of the 2025 #AESB Championship No. 3 UAlbany and No. 4 Bryant took care of business, while No. 6 Maine won its second game to stay alive on Wednesday evening.
 
Bryant earned a six-inning 10-2 victory over No. 5 UMass Lowell in the opener while the Great Danes came back for a 7-3 win over the Black Bears in the second game of the day. In the finale, Maine shut out UMass Lowell to stave off elimination.
 
The second day of the tournament gets underway at 11 a.m. on Thursday as top seed Binghamton faces No. 4 Bryant. No. 2 seed UMBC follows with a 1:30 p.m. contest against No. 3 UAlbany. The final game of the day will feature No. 6 Maine against the highest seeded loser from the first two contests.
 
No. 4 Bryant 10, No. 5 UMass Lowell 2
  • Bryant opened up the scoring in the third inning after loading the bases, with a walk and hit-by-pitch. Makenna Coleman  hit a double down the first base line to drive in two additional runs for a 4-0 lead.
  • River Hawks got on the board in the top of the 4th with a ground out RBI by Wade.
  • Two more runs from Bryant in the bottom of the 4th on a pair of singles gave them a 6-1 lead.
  • The Bulldogs added two in the sixth, but after a home run by Emily Tow, UMass Lowell pulled with 8-2.
  • In the bottom of the sixth, Makenna Coleman hit a double to right-center which brought in another run and she came around to score for the 10-2 final via mercy rule.
  • Makenna Coleman finished 3-for-3 with three doubles & Samantha Rohwer went 4-for-4 with 1 run while Lexi Powell earned the win in the circle by going 5.0 innings with four hits allowed.
 
No. 3 UAlbany 7, No. 6 Maine 3
  • Maine jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Gabby Papushka double, but UAlbany scored a pair in the bottom of the second to grab a 2-1 advantage.
  • Two more Black Bear runs in the top of the third pushed them in front 3-2, but it was short-lived.
  • The Great Danes scored three times in the top of the third, including two on a double by Deanna Grahek, to pull in front 5-3.
  • UAlbany added two more unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth to push their advantage to 7-3.
  • Freshman Haley Wieczerzak was dynamic in relief. She allowed just one hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings of action. Grahek finished the day 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI.
 
No. 6 Maine 3, No. 5 UMass Lowell 0
  • Black Bears secure their first run of the game with bases loaded as a passed ball gave Madison Hand the opportunity to take home.
  • Maine scored another run apiece in the top of the 4th and 5th inning. Gabby Papushka’s RBI triple extended the lead to 3-0 for the Black Bears in the 5th.  
  • Madison Simmerman was outstanding as she went the distance, allowing just three hits with no runs, while Keira Inman went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
 
Visit Championship Central for complete streaming and live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
 
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast. 
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