MANSFIELD, Conn. – The UMass Dartmouth softball team saw their 2025 season come to a close after falling in double elimination in the opening day of the 2025 Little East Conference Softball Tournament on Wednesday from Clyde Washburne Field. The Corsairs finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-18 overall record and a 7-9 mark in Little East action. UMass Dartmouth were edged in extra innings by third-seeded Plymouth State University, 5-4, in the first game of the day before falling 7-3 to Western Connecticut State University in the double elimination contest.
The Corsairs grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to sophomore catcher
Olivia Silva notching a two-RBI double. The Panthers answered in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs off three hits to take a 3-2 edge in the game.
Senior
Larissa Piessens gave UMass Dartmouth a 4-3 advantage after crushing the ball over the left field fence for a two-run homer. Once again, Plymouth State responded in the bottom of the inning as Kenzie Bessette tagged home to knot the score up at 4-apiece.
In extra innings, Piessens recorded a single through the right side to kickstart the top of the eighth, but the Corsairs couldn't capitalize heading into the ninth. Ashley Trogler opened the bottom of the ninth with a double to left center for the Panthers. With bases loaded, Emily Bessette singled to right field for the walk-off to edge the Corsairs by a final score of 5-4.
Piessens crushed her first home run of the season after a 2-for-3 effort at the plate to go along with two runs. Silva went 1-for-4 for the Corsairs with two RBIs and a double. Junior
RaeLynn Perregaux posted one hit on four at-bats with one run and the lone stolen base for UMass Dartmouth. Senior
Kinu Takasugi also recorded one hit and scored once for the Corsairs.
First year pitcher
Edy Crawford threw all 8.1 innings for UMass Dartmouth to pick up the loss on the mound. She allowed four earned runs and eight hits in the contest while also recording three strikeouts on 127 total pitches.
In the elimination game, Western Connecticut State snagged an early 1-0 edge in the bottom of the third. Sophomore
Chaylin Cruz Salgado kickstarted a 3-run rally in the fourth inning after scoring sophomore pitcher
Lily Routhier home with an RBI single. Junior
Sydney Menz and senior
Jillian Walsh then tallied an RBI single apiece to put the Corsairs up 3-1.
The Wolves bats came alive in the next two innings of play, scoring four runs off five hits to regain a 5-3 advantage in the contest.
Cruz Salgado had a 1-for-3 performance with one RBI and one run for the Corsairs. Routhier ended the game with one RBI as well as after a 1-for-3 effort. Menz also posted a 1-for-3 performance with one run scored while Walsh, Perregaux, and Takasugi each recorded one hit apiece.
Routhier pitched the opening 4.0 innings and allowed four earned runs and five hits to pick up the loss. She finished the season with an 8-4 record on the mound and surrendered just one walk on 20 batters faced. Crawford threw the last two innings of the game giving up one earned run and three hits on 10 batters faced.
