Merchant quietly stifles White Mules Maine preps for league play

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ORONO – After four innings of softball on Wednesday afternoon, University of Maine pitcher Jenna Merchant headed to the bench – for good – unaware of exactly how well her outing had gone.

Unaware, in fact, that she had a no-hitter going.

Colby coach Dick Bailey spoiled the surprise when he joked about the topic during a between-innings chat with Merchant’s coach, Deb Smith.

“I told him, shush,” said Smith after Nicole Taylor had mopped up a 5-0 Black Bear win at Kessock Field.

Forgive Smith if Merchant’s no-hitter wasn’t the top priority on Wednesday: The Bears have a season-altering four-game series against Binghamton scheduled for the weekend, and she wants her ace to be fresh.

“I could have [left her in], but realistically I didn’t want Jenna to throw seven innings today, regardless,” Smith said. “She has a foot bothering her, and she’s got an elbow bothering her. This weekend is more important than that.”

Maine tallied only four hits but improved to 23-28 with a win over the Division III White Mules. Colby finishes its season 12-10-2.

The Bears and Binghamton are each 10-10 in league play, and a weekend split would give UMaine the fourth and final berth in the America East tournament.

Merchant, who struck out five and walked two in her four-inning stint, was happy Taylor got the chance to pitch.

“I didn’t know it was a no-hitter until she pulled me,” Merchant said with a laugh. “Not that it really matters. But it was a great opportunity for Nikki to get in there.”

Maine manufactured the only run it would need in the bottom of the first when leadoff hitter Aleisha Rautenberg was hit by a pitch, scampered to second and third on consecutive wild pitches, then scooted home on Erica Sobel’s groundout.

The Bears tallied three more in the third on three hits and three Colby errors.

Jess Brady made it 2-0 when she reached second on an infield error, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch. Sara Asadoorian walked, stole second, moved to third when nobody covered the bag on her steal, and scored on Leigh Ann Hlywak’s single to left. Michelle Mather delivered Hlywak from second with a single to left to make it 4-0.

Hlywak added another run in the fifth when she jolted her 11th homer of the year to right field. The homer was the first in 16 games for Hlywak, who started the season on a tear.

“She threw me outside, and lately I’ve just been on those pitches,” Hlywak said. “And that was that.”

Bailey was impressed with Hylwak’s shot.

“It’s still going,” Bailey said. “She whacked the hell out of it.”

BLACK BEARS 5, WHITE MULES 0 Colby (12-10-3) Maine (23-28)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Chadwick lf-cf 1 0 0 0 Rautenberg, rf 2 0

Martin, rf 1 0 0 0 Asadoorian, 2b 1 1 0

Hurd, 2b 1 0 0 0 Sherwood, 2b 1 0 0

Wagner, 3b 3 0 0 0 Hlywak, 3b 2 2 2

Bonner, c-rf 3 0 1 0 Sobel, ss 3 0 1

Shea, 2b-rf 3 0 0 0 Mather, lf 2 0 1

Morin, 1b 3 0 2 0 Sirois, lf 1 0 0

Lisavich, p 1 0 0 0 Taylor, dh-p 3 0 0

Emerson, p 0 0 0 0 Churchill, 1b 3 0 0

Robbins, p 1 0 0 0 Bain, c 2 0 0 0

Riley, c 1 0 1 0 Tibbetts, c 1 0 0

Caswell, cf-p 3 0 0 0 Brady, cf 2 0

Fitzgerald, ss 2 0 0 0 Steranko, cf 1 0

Bortolotti, ss 1 0 0 0

Totals 24 0 4 0 Totals 24 5 4 4

Colby 000 000 0 ? 0

Maine 103 010 x ? 5

E?Bonner, Shea 2; Hlywak; LOB?Colby 6; Maine 4; HR? Hlywak (11); DP?Sobel-Churchill; S?Martin; SB?Asadoorian, Hlywak

Colby IP H R ER BB SO

Lisavich (L,1-5) 2? 0 3 2 2 2

Emerson ? 3 1 0 0 1

Robbins 2 1 1 1 0 1

Caswell 1 0 0 0 0 1

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Merchant (W,17-10) 4 0 0 0 2 5

Taylor 3 4 0 0 0 1

HBP?Rautenberg by Lisavich; WP?Lisavich 3; PB?Bonner; T?1:45; ATT?75