SALEM, Mass -- The Buccaneers softball team traveled to Salem on Friday afternoon for their conference openers against the Vikings. Maritime had a 5-0 lead in game one and a 4-0 lead in game two and ended up losing both games, 7-6 in game one and 6-5 in extra innings in game two.

Game One

The Basics

Final: Vikings 7, Buccaneers 6

Records: Salem (3-6, 1-0)

               Maritime (7-2, 0-1)

In The Circle

Salem: Emily Carter: 4.1 IP | 8 H | 5 R | 3 ER | 5 BB | 2 K

            Katherine Quigley (W, 1-0): 1.1 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 1 K

Maritime: Jennamarie Klemp (L, 4-2): 6.1 IP | 8 H | 7 R | 3 ER | 3 BB | 6 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Reagan Kerecz tallied three hits in the game to lead the Bucs offense.
• Kelsey Booker, Ab'c'de Patane, Ryleigh Ward, and Rubi Butler all had two hits.
• Sarah Holler added one hit.
• Booker had a triple and a double and Kerecz had a double for the three Buc extra base hits in the game.
• Booker drove in three of the Bucs runs, Kerecz and Patane each drove in one.
• Hannah Burton scored twice for Maritime and Kerecz, Patane, and Ward all scored once.
• Patane recorded the only stolen base of the game in the loss.

Salem

• Alanis Toledano had three hits in the win. Five other Vikings recorded a hit.
• Toledano had a double, the only extra base hit for Salem.
• Isabella Perrotti drovei n two runs. Alaina Giuliano, Toledano, and Dawn Eisnor all drove in one run. 
• Toledano scored twice and five other Vikings scored in the game.
• Perrotti and Stephanie Grassi each had a stolen base in the win.

How It Happened

Maritime went into Salem and immediately took a lead in game one scoring twice in the top of the first inning. Booker tripled to bring in Burton and Patane singled to score Booker from third.

The Bucs held their 2-0 lead behind Klemp and in the fourth extended that lead to 4-0 on a Booker double that scored Kerecz and Burton.

In the top of the fifth, the Buccaneers made it 5-0 on a bases-loaded walk of Kerecz that scored Ward from third. In the bottom of the fifth, the Salem bats came to life as they scored three times to make the score 5-3.

Now up just two runs, the Bucs added a run back in the top of the sixth on a Ward single to score Patane. The Vikings threatened in the bottom of the sixth but thanks to a wild 5-2-3 double play, the Buccaneers got out of the sixth with a three-run, 6-3 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, Salem threatened again and made it pay off this time. Loading the bases, Perrotti singled to bring in two runs and make it a one-run ball game. Later in the inning, the Buccaneers committed an error that allowed two runs to score and earn Salem a walkoff, 7-6, win over the Bucs in game one.

Game Two

The Basics

Final (9 Innings): Vikings 6, Buccaneers 5

Records: Salem (4-6, 2-0)

               Maritime (7-3, 0-2)

In The Circle

Salem: Katherine Quigley (W, 2-0): 5 IP | 1 H | 1 R | 0 ER | 0 BB | 2 K

Maritime: Ashley Catlett (L, 3-1): 8.1 IP | 3 H | 5 R | 3 ER | 8 BB | 7 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Reagan Kerecz recorded her second multi-hit game of the day with two hits. Sarah Holler added two hits of her own.
• Kelsey Booker had a hit in the loss.
• Hannah Burton, Holler, and Ryleigh Ward drove in a run apiece.
• Kerecz scored twice, Burton, Makynzi Sprague, and Ava Rolfe each scored once.
• Kerecz and Rolfe both had a stolen base in the game.

Salem

• Five different Vikings recorded hits in the win. 
• Emily Henning drove in two runs, Samantha Gaona, Mackenzie DeSantis, and Stephanie Grassi all drove in one run.
• Gaona scored twice and four other Salem base runners scored once.
• Isabelle Besse and Allison Frost each stole a base in the win.

How It Happened

After a scoreless first and second innings, the Bucs struck first in game two with a run in the top of the third on a Burton ground out that scored Kerecz from third.

Maritime extended their lead to 4-0 in the top of the fifth. Two runs scored on a Vikings miscue and another on a Holler ground out that brought Burton across to make the score 4-0 Bucs.

No lead was safe for Maritime on Friday as the Vikings tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. One run scored on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, another on a wild pitch. Their third run came in to score on a Henning single and the tying run crossed the plate on a ground out that scored Gaona. 

The seventh inning was scoreless and the Bucs and Vikings provided free softball with extra innings in a tight conference matchup. In the top of the eighth, Maritime scored on a Ward groundout that brought in Sprague and the Bucs took a 5-4 lead in the top of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Salem tied the game at 5-5 with a DeSantis single scoring Gaona. 

Salem kept the Buccaneers off the scoreboard in the top of the ninth and in the bottom of the inning scored the winning run on a Grassi sacrifice fly to left field. Salem swept the conference doubleheader with a 6-5 game two win in nine innings.

What's Next

Maritime is back home for their next doubleheader on Tuesday, March 26th against Dean College with first pitch scheduled for 4pm.