BIDDEFORD — The weather was relatively nice at Claude Dubois Field as the University of New England softball team warmed up before its non-conference game against in-state rival Colby Wednesday. The Nor’easters (7-8) looked to be off to a hot start when leadoff hitter Sydney Helmbrecht opened the game with a hard grounder for a single and later scored to put UNE up 1-0. But the Nor’easters went cold from then on, and a combination of Colby pitcher Julia Saul and a few runs scratched across by the Mules (4-7) led to a 3-2 Colby victory.

The matchup was originally scheduled to be played at Colby College in Waterville Tuesday, but was moved to Biddeford due to Claude Dubois Field’s more favorable conditions. That meant UNE batted first, giving the Nor’easters the first chance to plate a run ”“ which they did.

After Helmbrecht reached leading off, she stole second and third in consecutive at-bats, then took advantage of her scoring position on a wild pitch from Saul.

But after Saul walked Amanda Vallante, UNE’s No. 3 batter, she retired the next 12 Nor’easters hitters.

“She started off aggressive, and she had decent movement on the ball, and threw in a changeup. We were getting behind a little bit; once you get behind in the count, you get the pitcher in control,” UNE head coach Dan Letellier said of Saul. “She did a great job. I think she’s one of the better pitchers we’ve seen so far.”

Colby answered UNE’s run with one of its own in the bottom of the first inning, as Meaghan Lewia led off with a hard single then scored two batters later on Emily Schatz’ RBI double to deep left. Victoria Sansone followed with a single, but Schatz stayed stranded at third as UNE pitcher Abby Lambert snuck out of the jam.

Lambert was shaky early for UNE, giving up four hits to the first six Colby batters, but she settled down to keep the game tied 1-1 until the sixth inning. She set down 11 of 13 batters stretching from the second inning until the sixth.

“Abby did real well. It was good to see her work through it,” said Letellier. “She battled, but it was good to see her get better as the game went on.”

Lambert issued just her second walk of the game with one out in the bottom of the sixth, which set up the Mules’ timely offense. Colby played small ball with a runner on, as Grace Farnkoff and Saul dropped down bunts in consecutive at-bats ”“ and both were misplayed by UNE. Farnkoff’s offering went back to Lambert, whose throw to first didn’t connect with a late-trailing Meghan Bolano from second base, and Saul’s grounder turned into a bad relay by first baseman Adrienne Chase.

Sansone, who started the rally with a four-pitch walk, scored on Saul’s bunt, and Farnkoff came home on a sacrifice fly by Katherine Zafirson.

“We just got to sure up our defense,” said Letellier. “I’m not happy with the way we played defense today, and we’ll have to make some changes to sure it up. That’s all.”

The Nor’easters went to work on a rally in the top of the seventh, but it was short-lived. Cat Ouellette tripled to right-center with one out, then scored on a sacrifice grounder by Mollie Bartles, but Helmbrecht ended the game with a fly out to right.

UNE put runners on third in both the fifth and sixth innings, but couldn’t push runs across in either instance, making Ouellette’s late production too little, too late.

“It’s the big hit. We didn’t have the timely hits. We had what we wanted ”“ we had runners in scoring position, we had our middle of the order up ”“ and we just didn’t capitalize,” said Letellier. “It was good for the freshman, Cat Ouellette, to get a nice ball to the fence. It just brings us to tomorrow, to say ”˜okay, here we go, let’s get the bats going again tomorrow.’”

The single game against Colby was just the start of a five-games-in-three-days stretch for the Nor’easters, who host non-conference foe University of Maine-Farmington in a doubleheader today before returning to conference play with a twin bill at home against Nichols Friday.

“It’s college softball in Maine; you’re going to be playing in March, so you got to be ready for this type of stuff,” said Letellier. “We got to just learn to handle adversity a little bit better, and juggling the schedules, and weather, and we just got to get better at that.”

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.