BANGOR – After a tough stretch of games, Husson College softball coach Charlie Hamel gave some of his regular starters – especially the pitchers – a bit of a break for Monday’s nonconference doubleheader against University of Maine at Presque Isle.

The Eagles got pitching wins from Aimee Wilcox and Ashlee Paschal as well as sharp hitting up and down the lineup to sweep the Owls, posting a 7-1 win in the opener and a 9-0 victory in 41/2 innings in the nightcap.

Three Husson pitchers – Krystal Bosse started the first game – combined to allow eight hits and one run while striking out 10 and walking four.

“UMPI is a nice-hitting team and we knew that coming in,” Hamel said. “But I wanted to give my regular starters a rest. We had to win the games we did against our conference teams. And we have [UMaine-] Farmington coming in Wednesday so I wanted to give the starters a break.”

It was the sixth day in a row Husson has played, including a doubleheader sweep of Lesley College on Saturday and a doubleheader loss to Bates on Sunday.

“It was rough yesterday so we wanted to come out strong today,” freshman Jordan Pruett said. “We worked together and did a good job.”

In the first game, UMPI got a run in the first inning to take an early lead, but Husson answered in the bottom of the inning and finally broke through with a four-run third.

Anna Lenentine had an RBI single in the first to spark UMPI, but Husson’s Carolyn McAvoy did the same to tie the game.

Rhonda Chambers had the big hit in the third, a two-run single that drove in Nicole Munroe and Pruett. Both baserunners had hit run-scoring singles earlier in the inning.

Pruett scored in the fifth when she singled, advanced all the way to third on a Wendy Butler sacrifice bunt, and then came home while Chambers was thrown out trying to steal second.

“We’ve been dead set on hitting through the order because that’s the one weakness we’ve had,” Pruett said.

Six players had at least one hit in the first game and five batters had at least a hit in the second game.

Pruett went 3-for-4 in the two games with three runs scored and two RBIs. It was the kind of breakout outing she had been seeking this year.

“If there is such a thing as a slump she’s been in it, and she knew it,” Hamel said. “I took her out of the meat of the order to take off some pressure and let her get her confidence back. Yesterday and today she did some great things with the bat.”

Wilcox pitched five innings and allowed just one hit while striking out five and walking one.

In the second game, the Eagles left little doubt with a seven-run first inning en route to a mercy rule-shortened win.

All seven runs in the first scored after UMPI got two outs on the Eagles.

Paschal allowed nine baserunners but got key outs when she needed them. The Owls had runners at first and second with two outs in the second inning but Paschal got a strikeout and induced a flyout to end the threat.

“The strikeout was [big] there,” Paschal said.

In the top of the fifth, UMPI’s Mariah Holmes led off with a single but was forced out at second by Kelly Chasse’s fielder’s choice. The Owls then loaded the bases on an error and another fielder’s choice, but Husson got a forceout at home and Paschal struck out the final batter of the game.

UMPI’s Nikki Michaud (4-9) took the loss in both games after two losses Sunday.

“It’s been a long season and she’s pretty much it for us,” Owls coach Mike Carlos said. “But Husson played well. … We’re just tired. We’ve got nine [players on the roster] and we do our best with what we have.”

EAGLES 7, OWLS 1

(Monday’s First Game)

UM-Presque Isle Husson

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Daniel, cf 4 1 2 0 Bell, cf 3 1 0

Nightingale, rf 3 0 1 0 Manzo, 2b 3 0

S. McAvoy, 2b 3 0 0 0 C. McAvoy, ss 4 2

Lenentine, c 4 0 1 1 Munroe, 1b 4 1 1

Kinney, 3b 3 0 0 0 Pruett, 3b 2 2 1

Anderson, lf 1 0 0 0 Butler, lf 3 0 0

Holmes, 1b 3 0 1 0 Chambers, rf 3 0 2

Chasse, ss 3 0 0 0 Bosse, p-dh 3 0 0

Michaud, p 3 0 0 0 Wing, c 3 0 0 0

Totals 27 1 5 1 Totals 28 7 9 6

UM-Presque Isle 100 000 0 – 1

Husson 104 011 x – 7

E-S. McAvoy; Chasse 2; Pruett, Butler, Wilcox; LOB-UMPI 9, Husson 6; 2B-Manzo, C. McAvoy, Pruett; DP-C. McAvoy (una.); S-Manzo, Butler; SB-Bell

UMPI IP H R ER BB SO

Michaud (L,4-8) 6 9 7 5 2 3

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Bosse 2 4 1 1 2 1

Wilcox (W,1-0) 5 1 0 0 1 5

HBP-Nightingale by Bosse; PB-Lenentine; T-1:28; ATT-100 (est.)

EAGLES 9, OWLS 0

(Monday’s Second Game)

UM-Presque Isle (4-10) Husson (16-10)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Daniel, cf-lf 3 0 0 0 Bell, rf 3 1

Nightingale, rf-cf 3 0 0 0 Manzo, 3b 3 0

S. McAvoy, 2b 3 0 0 0 C. McAvoy, ss 1 0

Lenentine, c-p 1 0 1 0 Munroe, cf 2 1

Kinney, 3b 2 0 0 0 Pruett, 1b 2 1 1

Anderson, lf-c 2 0 1 0 Butler, lf 1 1

Holmes, 1b 2 0 1 0 Wing, c 1 1 1 1

Chasse, ss 2 0 0 0 Webster, ph 1 0 0

Michaud, p-rf 2 0 0 0 LaGrange, dh 2 1

Maxim, 2b 1 1 0 0

Totals 20 0 3 0 Totals 17 9 6 6

UM-Presque Isle 000 00 – 0

Husson 720 00 – 9

E-Kinney, Chasse; C. McAvoy, Wing; LOB-UMPI 6, Husson 4; 2B-Bell 2; Pruett; S-Wing

UMPI IP H R ER BB SO

Michaud (L,4-9) 3 6 9 7 4 1

Lenentine 1 0 0 0 3 0

Husson IP H R ER BB SO

Paschal (W,4-1) 5 3 0 0 1 4

WP-Michaud; Paschal; PB-Lenentine 3; T-1:08; ATT-75 (est.)