Bears, Terriers square off today

The University of Maine softball team had a little less than 48 hours to get ready for a doubleheader against rival Boston University starting at noon today.

But after taking two of three against Hartford, including an eighth-inning victory Sunday, the Black Bears are feeling pretty good.

“Knowing that we can come through in a tough game and pull out a win, get the hit that we need, that’s really exciting,” UMaine coach Michelle Puls said after Sunday’s 3-2 win.

The Terriers were the top pick in the coaches’ preseason poll and come into Orono with a 2-3 conference record.

“BU is still the leading team in our conference and they’re hitting the ball well,” Puls said. “They have outstanding pitching and they can put the bat on the ball.”

Maine had 24 hits in the three games. The Bears went into the series with a .207 team batting average and are now at .228.

Maine showed signs of life with nine extra-base hits in the three games and 11 hits in the first game of the weekend, a 7-1 victory Saturday afternoon.

“The first game we hit awesome,” said pitcher Sarah Bennis, who had a win as a starter Saturday and a reliever Sunday. “It was definitely encouraging. You always want your offense playing well.”

Brady seeing green

University of Maine senior Jess Brady piled on three more stolen bases to her career record. She nearly had a fourth in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Bears were trying to break a 2-2 tie in the third game of this weekend’s series.

Brady had walked and stolen second to get herself into scoring position for Brittany Cheney, the same situation that occurred in the second inning. In that case, Cheney hit a single to right to bring in Brady.

In the eighth, as Cheney was looking for a sacrifice bunt, Brady jumped at a chance to swipe third, too.

It didn’t work. Hartford catcher Nikki Thompson fired over to third baseman Ryan Williams, who applied the tag on Brady.

That kind of aggressiveness is fine by Puls.

“She has the green light any time she wants,” Puls said of Brady, who set the UMaine career stolen base record last year (45), including 18 in 2004.

“She saw the third baseman creep in because we were trying to sacrifice her over,” Puls added. “You try to make it so the other team has to make a play, and they did a great job on that. I wouldn’t change anything else because Jess always has a green light.”

One thing’s for sure – the Black Bears like to run. Lauren Dulkis ran through a stop sign at third base in the third inning of a scoreless game but Puls wasn’t upset about that, either.

“It was the same thing,” she said. “[Hartford] had to make the play. The pitcher was in great position to cover the plate. [Dulkis] thought I was too far away to see where the ball was. I was yelling, ‘Stop, stop!’ but she kept right on going.”