The Bowdoin softball team opened its season with a split of two games on Monday in Clermont, Florida. The Polar Bears won their opener 3-2 over Fredonia before losing to Rowan 6-3 in their second game of the day.

Against Fredonia (0-5), Sydney Lang hit an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning as Bowdoin scored twice to get the win. Lilly Amstrong walked, stole second and moved to third on a bunt to start Bowdoin’s rally and scored on an error.

Anika Ewert had three hits and Armstrong scored twice for Bowdoin.

In Bowdoin’s second game, Korie Hague had two RBI and McKenzie Melvin had three hits as the Falcons (9-1) beat the Polar Bears.

JK Bradley was 3 for 4 with two RBI and a run scored for Bowdoin.

MEREDITH 8, SOUTHERN MAINE 3: Alyssa Drake and Laura Tobin each had three hits with two RBI as the Avenging Angels (1-0) scored all of their runs over the first three innings against the Huskies (0-1) in Kissimmee, Florida.

Hannah Shields hit a three-run homer in the second inning, and Shields and Rona Scott each had two hits for the Huskies.

WHEATON 4, SOUTHERN MAINE 1: The Lyons (5-1) scored three runs in the sixth inning and went on to defeat the Huskies (0-2) in Kissimmee, Florida.

The Huskies loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning, but only managed one run when Lauren Merrill scored on a passed ball. The Huskies finished with two hits, both singles by Madison Day and Dory Kulis.

WHEATON 13, U. OF NEW ENGLAND 5: The Lyons (4-1) put together two big rallies in the early innings against over the Nor’easters (1-2) in Kissimmee, Florida.

Jillian Rohon hit a two-run single and Bryanna Agan added a two-triple during a six-run first inning, and Allison Weston clubbed a grand slam in the third when the Lyons tacked on five more for an 11-2 lead.

Abby Minor hit a three-run homer in the third inning for UNE.

BASEBALL

TEXAS-DALLAS 11, SOUTHERN MAINE 1: Jaeger Self had three hits with two RBI to lead the Comets (9-7) over the Huskies (1-3) in eight innings in Auburndale, Florida.

Andrew Skivington and Dylan Bivins also had two RBI for the Comets, who scored in every inning but the fourth and broke it open with a four-run seventh.

Chris Quigley had two hits for the Huskies.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

SOUTHERN MAINE 15, NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE 2: Rachel Shanks scored five goals and Emily Cloutier added three as the Huskies (1-3) handled the Pilgrims (1-4) in Gorham.

Molly Black finished with two goals, and Raegan Bechard, Cierra Hill, Kiaya Gatchell, Julia McKenna and Anna Byers also scored for the Huskies.

BATES 15, ST. JOSEPH’S 9: Caroline Taggart had six goals and an assist as the Bobcats (3-3) beat the Monks (3-2) in Standish.

Annie Lowenstein added four goals and an assist for Bates, and Lauren Wong and Caroline Keating each had two.

Lydia Dexter had four goals and two assists, and Bridget Collins added three goals and two assists for St. Joseph’s.

COLBY 19, PLYMOUTH STATE 8: Paige Saudek had five goals and Annie Eddy had four as the Mules (1-3) beat the Panthers (3-1) in Waterville.

Julia Jardina added three goals and an assist for the Mules, and Gianna Bruno had two goals and five assists. Stella Regan and Elizabeth Hennessey also had two goals each.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

PENN STATE GREATER ALLEGHENY 68, SOUTHERN MAINE CC 55: Jeremiah Miller scored 20 points as the Nittany Lions (17-17) beat the SeaWolves (19-10) in a play-in game in the USCAA Division 2 Small College National Championship tournament in Petersburg, Virginia.

Jack Pyzynski had 17 points and Thomas Martinotti added 11 for SMCC, which plays Villa Maria in a consolation bracket game on Tuesday.

TOP 25: The overall No. 1 seed for March Madness is No. 1 in the final AP Top 25, too.

Alabama, fresh off an SEC Tournament title to go with its regular-season crown, ascended to the top spot, earning 48 of 61 first-place votes to jump Houston, which lost in the American Athletic Conference final without star guard Marcus Sasser. Alabama also spent a week at No. 1 last month.

Houston still received nine first-place votes and was No. 2 after losing to Memphis in the final of the AAC tourney, where Sasser hurt his groin in the semifinal round. He did not play in the championship and his status will be watched closely leading up to the Cougars’ NCAA opener against Northern Kentucky.

Purdue, seeded first in the East Region, earned three first-place votes and was third in the AP poll after the regular-season Big Ten champion won its conference tournament, too. Kansas, which expects to have Bill Self back for the NCAA tourney after a medical scare, was fourth after receiving the No. 1 seed in the West.

OLE MISS: Mississippi hired Chris Beard as its basketball coach just over two months after his firing from Texas following a domestic violence arrest.

The Rebels announced Beard’s hiring and will introduce him Tuesday in a public event at the SBJ Pavilion. Beard is a four-time conference coach of the year and was AP’s national coach of the year in 2019.

But his two-year tenure at alma mater Texas ended abruptly in January, though felony domestic charges were ultimately dismissed on Feb. 15. A prosecutor said his office determined that the charge of assault by strangulation/suffocation-family violence could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Texas suspended Beard after his Dec. 12 arrest and fired him three weeks later when Texas officials told Beard’s attorney he was “unfit” to lead the program. Beard was arrested when his fiancée, Randi Trew, called 911 and told officers that Beard strangled, bit and hit her during a confrontation in his home.

She later said that Beard didn’t choke her, and was defending himself, and that she never intended for Beard to be arrested and prosecuted.

TEMPLE: Coach Aaron McKie is out after four years and no NCAA Tournament appearances and will become a special advisor to the athletic department, the school announced.

McKie, who starred at Temple under Hall of Fame coach John Chaney and played for the Philadelphia 76ers in a long NBA career, went 52-56 in four seasons, including 16-16 in 2022-23.

OBIT: Felton Spencer, who set Louisville single-season and career records in field goal percentage before playing 12 years in the NBA, has died. He was 55.

Spencer’s sister, Tammy Pollock, tweeted of his death on Sunday afternoon and the school confirmed information with the family. No cause of death was given.

Louisville tweeted that it was “heartbroken” by Spencer’s passing. Former Cardinals teammate and current coach Kenny Payne expressed love and prayers for Spencer’s family on social media.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

TOP 25: South Carolina joined an exclusive group, going wire-to-wire as No. 1 in consecutive years in The Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The defending national champion Gamecocks (32-0) became the third school to be the top team in the poll for the entire season in back-to-back years, equaling UConn and Louisiana Tech.

The Gamecocks, who are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, have been atop the poll for 38 straight weeks, which is the second longest run behind UConn’s record 51-week streak (2008-10). Led by Aliyah Boston, the Gamecocks were once again a unanimous choice by the 28-member media panel.

Indiana, featuring Gorham’s Mackenzie Holmes, switched places with Iowa in the final poll, moving back up to second after landing its first No. 1 seed in an NCAA tourney. Virginia Tech and Stanford, the other two top seeds, were fourth and fifth in the final Top 25.

GEORGETOWN: Coach James Howard will not have his contract renewed after four consecutive losing seasons, the school announced Monday.

The move means Georgetown will be looking for two new basketball coaches: Patrick Ewing was removed as head of the men’s team last week.

Howard went 66-108, a .379 winning percentage, during six years at Georgetown, including 14-17 this season, which ended with a 30-point loss to UConn in the Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals on March 4.

MICHIGAN STATE: Suzy Merchant has stepped down as coach, citing health concerns.

The 53-year-old Merchant had not coached the Spartans since she was in a one-car crash after a medical incident in late January. Six seasons ago, she fainted and collapsed onto the court during a game and doctors later discovered she had a heart abnormality.

Associate head coach Dean Lockwood, who filled in for Merchant this season, will serve as the team’s interim coach while the school searches for a new leader for the program.