WATERVILLE — The day didn’t start out so great for Thomas College starting pitcher Sonja Morse. The junior Cony High graduate surrendered a triple to Katie McLaughlin, Colby’s leadoff hitter. After that, though, Morse was strong. She allowed just one more Colby baserunner to get to third base, while striking out eight.

“With Sonja in there, we knew she was going to keep us in the game,” Thomas coach Terry Parlin said.

Thomas College pitcher Sonja Morse fields a bunt by Colby College player Katie McLaughlin and makes the out during a game on Monday in Waterville. Staff photo by David Leaming

Thomas College player Cassie Contigiani holds up the ball after tagging out Colby's Robin Spofford at second base during a game on Monday in Waterville. Staff photo by David Leaming

Morse did just that, matching Colby starter Wiley Holton for five scoreless innings, until the Terriers broke through with four runs in the sixth in a 5-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader Monday afternoon.

Colby (6-11) rebounded with a 7-2 win in Game 2 to earn a split with its crosstown rival.

After McLaughlin tripled to right field to lead off the bottom of the first inning, Morse bared down, getting a groundout and a pair of strikeouts to get out of the jam. While Morse allowed at least one baserunner in each inning, she wasn’t hit hard again until Skylar Labbe laced a double in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“Mostly, I just threw a lot of fastballs. This was probably the hardest I’ve thrown this season so far,” Morse, who walked two to go with her eight strikeouts, said. “Definitely after that hit I came back and didn’t give them anything they could hit. A lot of outside and high (pitches). I definitely learned from that.”

The Terriers (5-12) were having just as much trouble against Holton, who was perfect through three innings and didn’t give up a hit until Lexi Colpack’s one-out single in the fourth. Thomas finally got to Holton in the top of the sixth. Madison Benz led off with a single and Courtney Veilleux followed with a bunt single. Colpack singled to load the bases and Korrie Laren walked to force in the game’s first run.

Sydney Leborveau’s two-run single made it 3-0 and Thomas added a fourth run on an error.

“We looked sharp in the first game, we just didn’t get the timely hits and they did. They made adjustments quicker to Wiley than we made adjustments to them,” Colby coach Lisa-Ann Wallace said. “(Morse) was hitting her spots and we were just getting ourselves into bad pitch counts. We had to swing at some of her pitches when we were down 0-2, 1-2. I think Wiley did a nice job in the first game, we just didn’t hit behind her.”

Veilleux’s RBI double in the seventh scored Cassie Contigiani for the Terriers.

In Game 2, the Mules took the lead for good when Grace Frankoff scored on an error in the bottom of the second inning. Colby scored at least one run in every inning to support winning pitcher Julia Saul.

“The second game we thought maybe we could sneak another one away from them, but little things kept going wrong and they’re just tough. They’re always going to give us a game,” Parlin said.

Tori Sansone’s two-run home run to center field gave Colby a 5-1 lead in the fifth. McLaughlin scored a pair of runs in the win and the Mules had 11 hits.

“We actually had better at-bats in the second game,” Wallace said.

Saul went 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts. Laren hit a solo home run in the second inning for Thomas.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM

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