UM women in tourney at Virginia

Will the University of Maine softball team last the weekend?

That’s the question Maine Coach Janet Anderson must be asking herself as the Black Bears travel to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to compete in the Cavalier Tournament.

On Friday, the 6-16 Black Bears play Onodaga Community College of New York at 9 a.m.; Furman at 10:30 a.m. and Temple at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Maine meets George Mason at 9 a.m., will play a noon contest and, should they win, play another at 1:30 p.m.

With the loser/loser bracket formula, the possibility exists that a team could play seven or eight games in this tournament, and that’s the problem for Maine: the NCAA Division I Black Bears travel to Virginia with just one pitcher – sophomore Sherri Bridges of Bucksport.

Second pitcher Mary Campbell is not traveling because of an injury, and Bridges, who worked most of the games on Maine’s spring trip to Florida, has not been all that healthy herself, suffering from leg problems.

Other teams expected to participate in the tournament are Delaware, Ohio, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, East Carolina and Furman. Game times each day are 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., and 3 p.m. In case of inclement weather, Sunday will be used as a rain date.

If there are no rainout games Friday and Saturday, Maine is scheduled to play a doubleheader with Virginia Sunday at 1 p.m.

Leading Maine at the plate will be defending NCAA Division I batting champion Jocelyn Kondrotas, who is hitting .346, and Kim Reed, batting .344.

Bridges, who alone shoulders all the pitching responsibility, has a 2.80 earned-run average, is 4-13 overall.