BIDDEFORD – The University of New England softball team now has one more thing to juggle at an already hectic time of the school year.
Scheduled to play in The Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament Wednesday afternoon, rain forced the Nor’easters to rearrange their playoff schedule during a week in which UNE is preparing for final exams and scheduling classes for next fall.
But Nor’easters Coach Dan Letellier said one of his players gave him a different perspective on the afternoon’s damp weather.
“I have a player from Vermont who told me she’d talked to her mom and dad earlier in the day,” Letellier said. “She said they got 13 inches of snow, so it could be worse.”
Still, the wet weather that hit Cumberland and York counties washed out the playoff game between the second-seeded Nor’easters and No. 3 Western New England College.
Instead, UNE (24-12, 17-7 TCCC) will face WNEC (24-17-1, 16-7-1) at 2:30 p.m. today in Biddeford. UNE sports information director Curt Smyth said the decision to postpone the game came at the conclusion of WNEC’s 9-3 win over No. 6 Curry in the first game of the double-elimination phase of the tournament.
The championship round is scheduled for Saturday, with the highest remaining seed in the tournament hosting. The winner of the conference tournament receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
“We’ve got to get refocused because the girls are really jazzed up about playing in the postseason,” Letellier said. “We have a lot to prove because we weren’t picked to be here. We want to go out and prove people wrong.”
In 33 games, first baseman Angie Damon of Scarborough leads the Nor’easters with a .382 batting average, and catcher Ashley Gott has a team-high 19 RBI.
Pitcher Amber Zablowsky leads the conference with a 1.65 ERA and is 14-4. UNE leads the conference with a 2.51 ERA.
“We were going good all year with the weather and we were saying, ‘wow, we had better weather right after we got back from Florida,’” Letellier said, referring to the spring trip in March. “But we have to prepare for (today) and remain focused. We know what our goal is.”
Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be reached at 791-6415 or at:
rlenzi@pressherald.com
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