ORONO – For coach Janet Anderson, the University of Maine softball team’s final home series of the year – and the last of her 21 years with the Black Bears – couldn’t have gone better.

The Black Bears used a combination of solid pitching and clutch defense, plus a couple of big hits for two of their biggest wins, 2-1 and 3-1, over Boston University at a cold, blustery Lengyel Field Saturday.

The Bears are now 23-16, 4-6 in America East, and in fighting position for one of four conference playoff spots. The Terriers fall to 25-12 and 4-4.

Aside from a huge postseason boost, the doubleheader held some emotion for the UMaine players in their last home game with Anderson.

“Even though we knew it was coming up it didn’t hit us today until we looked at her and could see the emotion in her eyes,” said Sara Jewett, who had four hits in the two games. “It may have put a little spark underneath us to play a little harder.”

Anderson also appreciated the moment.

“It’s just a good feeling for the seniors who have played here for four years and a good feeling for me, too,” she said.

In the first game, Jewett knocked in the game-winning run in the 10th inning with a double that dropped just inside the right-field line, scoring Katie Fraser from second base. Fraser had singled and advanced on a walk.

With the offense sporadic, the Bears relied on their defense, which came up with some awesome plays. In the seventh inning with BU’s Betsy Gonski at second base as the go-ahead run, freshman center fielder Kate McKay threw Gonski out at the plate after Gonski tried to advance on a fly out.

And in the 10th inning, Gonski reached on an error by first baseman Katie Churchill, but Churchill redeemed herself by throwing out Nili Schnairsohn, who was trying to reach third on the error.

“We had brillant defense today,” Anderson said. “Jen [Burton] had some great pitching and she had some clutch fielding behind her. When you get down to the eighth, ninth and 10th innings you don’t want to lose the ballgame.”

Maine scored its first run in the fourth inning when a single by Leigh Ann Hlywak drove in Fraser, who had reached second on an error and third on a sacrifice by Erica Sobel.

Burton earned the win, allowing four hits and one earned run and striking out five and walking four. Robyn King was solid for the Terriers12 and walking three.

“[King] pitched well enough to win this game and I thought Mary [Colleran] threw well in the second game but the defense didn’t back her up,” BU coach Deb Solfaro said.

Burton had a no-hitter going into the fifth inning, when King broke it up with a single to center field. She advanced to second on an Aryn Rangel sacrifice and scored on Ingrid Anderson’s single.

In the second game, Jewett hit two triples and scored twice as the Black Bears got another solid pitching outing, this time from Carrie Green.

Hlywak knocked in all three of Maine’s runs, the first coming in the first inning when she singled to drive in Sobel. In the third inning, Hlywak hit a double that brought in Jewett, who reached on her first triple of the game.

Jewett also scored off her fifth-inning triple when Hlywak grounded out.

BU scored its run in the sixth inning, when Courtney Herr doubled and advanced to third on a Leslie Linnemeyer groundout and scored on a groundout by King. The Terriers threatened in the seventh but Maine’s defense did the job again, tagging out Tracy Turczynski after she singled but was caught off the bag on the play by shortstop Sobel.

“Both teams had chances to score but Maine took advantage of their oppotunities,” Solfano said. “They got it done when they needed to.”

Green struck out three and walked one in the win. BU’s Colleran gave up eight hits, walked one batter and fanned five to take the loss.

Colleran and King together tallied 17 strikeouts – a number that Jewett said she didn’t like.

“As a team we looked at a lot of third strikes. I can’t figure out why we consistently watch the third strike. I was guilty of it. So many of us did it. It stood out and we were lucky enough to pull through.”

Black Bears 2, Terriers 1 (10 inns.)

(Saturday’s First Game)

Boston University Maine

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

K. Herr, ss 4 0 0 0 Cassie, 2b 5 0 1 0

Parker, 1b 4 0 0 0 Fraser, rf 5 2 3 0

C. Herr, cf 4 0 0 0 Sobel, ss 3 0 0 0

Linnemeyer, c 3 0 0 0 Jewett, c 4 0 2 1

a-Palmer 0 0 0 0 Hlywak, 3b 3 0 1 1

King, p 3 1 1 0 McKay, cf 4 0 1 0

Rangel, 3b 3 0 0 0 McMullin, dp 4 0 1 0

Anderson, 2b 4 0 2 1 b-Rautenberg 0 0 0 0

Schnairson, rf 4 0 0 0 Churchill, 1b 2 0 0 0

Gonski, lf 4 0 1 0 c-Green 0 0 0 0

Sullivan, lf 3 0 0 0

Totals 33 1 4 1 Totals 33 2 9 2

a-ran for Linnemeyer in the seventh

b-ran for McMullin in the seventh

c-grounded out for Churchill in the seventh

Boston University 000 010 000 0 – 1

Maine 000 100 000 1 – 2

E – Rangel; Cassie, Hwylak, Churchill 2B – Gonski; Fraser, Jewett LOB – BU 5, Maine 11 SB – K. Herr; Cassie, Fraser 2 S – King, Rangel; Sobel, Green, Sullivan

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Boston University

King (L, 16-6) 9 9 2 1 3 12

Maine

Burton (W, 8-5) 10 4 1 1 1 6

HBP – Jewett by King PB – Jewett TIME – 2:21 ATTENDANCE – 100

Black Bears 3, Terriers 1

(Saturday’s Second Game)

Boston University (25-12) Maine (23-16)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

K. Herr, ss 3 0 2 0 Cassie, 2b 2 0 0 0

Anderson, 2b 2 0 0 0 Fraser, rf 3 0 0 0

C. Herr, cf 3 1 2 0 Sobel, ss 3 1 1 0

Linnemeyer, c 2 0 0 0 Jewett, c 3 2 2 0

King, 1b 3 0 0 1 Hlywak, 3b 3 0 2 3

Rangel, 3b 3 0 0 0 McMullin, dp 3 0 0 0

Turczynski, dp 3 0 1 0 Green, p 3 0 1 0

Loveless, rf 3 0 1 0 McKay, cf 3 0 2 0

a-Valente 0 0 0 0 Sullivan, lf 2 0 0 0

Gonski, lf 2 0 0 0 Churchill, 1b 0 0 0 0

Totals 24 1 6 1 Totals 25 3 8 3

a-ran for Loveless in the fifth

Boston University 000 001 0 – 1

Maine 101 010 x – 3

2B – C. Herr; Hlywak 3B – K. Herr; Jewett 2 LOB – Boston University 5, Maine 6 S – Anderson, Gonski; Sullivan

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Boston University

Colleran (L, 9-6) 6 8 3 3 1 5

Maine

Green (W, 6-3) 7 6 1 1 1 3

TIME – 1:24 ATTENDANCE – 40