Boston, Mass.—Junior shortstop Amanda Conti (Lincoln, R.I.) went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI as No. 4 Rhode Island College saw its season come to an end in a 7-4 setback vs. No. 5 Southern Maine in game nine of the 2024 Little East Softball Championship, hosted by UMass Boston on Saturday afternoon.
 
THE BASICS
No. 5 Southern Maine 7, No. 4 Rhode Island College 4
Southern Maine (28-12)
Rhode Island College (31-121)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Huskies, who defeated RIC, 7-0, in the opening game of the tournament on March 8, scored in the top of the first inning and put the Anchorwomen behind the eight-ball with a four-run second frame.
 
• RIC got on the board with a Conti RBI single in the second, then closed the game to a single run, 5-4, with a three-run fourth. Two runs came across on an error following a Conti single and senior third baseman Victoria Young (Sterling, Conn.) notched an RBI single.
 
• USM picked up an important insurance run in the fifth and added another in the seventh.
 
• Senior center fielder Avery Katz (Brookfield, Conn.) got on base with a single in the club's final at-bats, eventually reaching third, but the Huskies slammed the door and advanced to the title game vs. No. 3 Eastern Connecticut.
 
• Junior pitcher Taylor Babcock (East Providence, R.I.) took the loss (10-3).
 
 • Katz went 1-for-3 with a pair of stolen bases.

 • After falling to USM in the first game of the championship, RIC went 3-0, eliminating No. 6 VTSU Castleton, No. 2 UMass Dartmouth and No. 1 UMass Boston, prior to today's loss.