BANGOR, Maine - Needing to win twice today to keep their season alive, the Colby College softball team did just that with 9-2 and 8-5 wins over the No. 21 Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Bangor, Maine Regional Finals at O'Keefe Field on Saturday.
With the victories, Colby captures its first-ever NCAA Regional title in program history and advances to the NCAA Division III Super Regional round for the first time in school history.
NCAA Regional Game 6 – Colby 9, No. 21 MIT 2
In the opener, Colby (29-12) used a balanced offensive attack and dominant relief pitching to pull away from MIT (35-10). The Mules scored in the first inning before adding three runs in the second to take early control. Sophomore
Avery Lyman drove in three runs and finished 3-for-3 with two doubles, while senior
Emma Burnham scored four times and added a pair of hits. Junior
Juliana Kiley collected two hits and two RBIs, and senior
Victoria Ramirez added two hits and an RBI in the 12-hit effort.
After MIT cut the deficit to 4-2 in the second inning, sophomore
Sophia Meade entered in relief and shut the door. The left-hander tossed 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out four to improve to 14-3 on the season.
Colby added insurance runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, highlighted by RBI hits from Lyman, Burnham, and Ramirez as the Mules secured the 9-2 win.
NCAA Regional Game 7 – Colby 8, No. 21 MIT 5
The Mules carried that momentum into the second game despite falling behind 2-0 in the opening inning. Colby (30-12) answered immediately with three runs in the bottom half, sparked by RBI hits from Burnham and Ramirez before senior
Kathryne Clay delivered a sacrifice fly to give the Mules the lead.
After MIT (35-11) tied the game at 3-3 in the second, Colby regained the lead on an RBI single from Kiley. The game remained tight until the fifth inning when the Mules broke through with four runs. Clay delivered an RBI single, sophomore
Julia Berry added a sacrifice fly, and senior
Carissa Cassidy ripped a two-run triple into left-center to extend the lead to 8-3.
Cassidy finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a triple, while Clay went 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Junior
Caroline DeSimone and Lyman each added two hits as Colby totaled 12 hits for the second straight game.
In the circle, first-year
Sharlotte Stazinski (10-6) earned the win with 5.2 innings of relief work, allowing three runs (two earned) while striking out four. Meade recorded the final three outs for her fifth save of the season to help the Mules reach the 30-win mark for the first time in program history.
Colby will face Rowan University in a best-of-three Super Regional series on May 21-22 with the site not yet announced. The Profs knocked off No. 5 East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas to advance to the Super Regionals.
