BEVERLY, Mass. — The University of New England advanced to the Commonwealth Coast Conference softball championship game by earning a 6-2 win Friday against top-seeded Endicott in a winners’ bracket showdown.

After surrendering a run in the bottom of the first, UNE (26-14) answered with two runs in the second on an RBI single by Alexis Kapsambelis and a throwing error. The Nor’easters added three runs in the third, and Syndee Bessler made the lead stand up, limiting Endicott (29-5) to six hits, striking out four and walking two.

Avery Alberghini went 3 for 4 and Sarah Lachapelle had a single and a double for UNE, which will play either Endicott or Salve Regina on Saturday. UNE will have two chances to win one game for the conference title.

SOUTHERN MAINE 4, UMASS DARTMOUTH 0: Alexis Brown struck out four and pitched a no-hitter as the fourth-seeded Huskies (22-17) temporarily avoided elimination from the Little East Conference tournament by defeating the top-seeded Corsairs (23-17) at Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Erin Martin and Kaitlyn Nelson each hit an RBI single in the third inning to put USM ahead 2-0. Ashley Tinsman and Hannah Kenney added RBI singles in the sixth inning as both finished with two hits.

PLYMOUTH STATE 6, SOUTHERN MAINE 0: Cassidy Emerson hit a first-inning homer and Nora Butler collected four hits as the second-seeded Panthers (22-17) won an elimination game against the Huskies (22-18).

Madison Harris added two hits and an RBI for Plymouth State.

Erin Martin and Alexis Brown each had two hits for USM.

ST. JOSEPH’S 3, JOHNSON & WALES 2: Bailey Rassol hit the go-ahead single in the fifth inning to lift the Monks (13-22) over the Wildcats (21-20) in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament elimination game in Boston.

Megan Antaya hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to put Johnson & Wales ahead 2-1. Kaylee Burns tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, then scored on Rassol’s single.

Kate Whitney (7-10) earned the win, allowing six hits and one earned run.

St. Joseph’s advances to another elimination game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against Simmons.

STONY BROOK 7, MAINE 3: Riley Craig and Melissa Rahrich homered to power the Seawolves (28-16, 10-6 America East) to a 7-0 lead through five innings in a win over the Black Bears (11-28, 3-12) at Orono.

Rahrich blasted a two-run homer in the third to make it 5-0. Craig hit a solo shot in the fifth.

Maine scored in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single from Brianna Neely. Maddie Decker and Alyssa Decker hit solo home runs in the seventh.

FOOTBALL

DUKE: The university extended Coach David Cutcliffe’s contract through the 2022 season.

Cutcliffe has won two Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year awards and has led the Blue Devils to six bowl games in seven years, winning the last three. He is 67-72 in 11 seasons at Duke.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

CLEMSON: The Tigers parted ways with assistant coach Steve Smith after his voice was heard on a federal wiretap involving defendant Christian Dawkins on the ongoing trial into college corruption.

The video from 2017 included Smith commenting about why Clemson’s football team is so successful and Dawkins telling Smith he could help get cash to the family of ex-Duke star Zion Williamson if he had chosen to attend Clemson.

University officials said Clemson would not renew Smith’s contract that expired last month.

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