LEWISTON, Maine -- Trinity College overcame a 3-0 deficit with nine runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Bates College softball team 9-4 on Friday, keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the NESCAC playoffs.



Trinity moves to 13-13 overall and 4-6 in the NESCAC East Division. Bates is now 8-12 overall and 5-5 in the NESCAC East. The teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow at 12 p.m. with second place in the division, and a spot in the playoffs, on the line. Bates needs to win only once while Trinity needs to complete a three-game sweep.

Bates senior Stacia Saniuk (Sharon, Mass.) singled in the seventh inning to tie Krissie Whiting '03 for Bates' career hits record with 110.



The Bantams exploded for nine runs on 12 hits in the sixth inning after being held scoreless on five hits through the first five innings by Bates starter Kristen Finn (Winthrop, Mass.). Jessica Tait closed the gap to 3-2 with a two-run double, and Melanie Orphanos tied the game with a one-run single to right. Patricia Cipicchio put the Bantams on top for good at 4-3 with an RBI single to left. Trinity was far from done, scoring five more runs in the inning, including a two-run single by Katherine Stoltenberg, and an RBI double by Stacy Hathcox. Four players had two hits in the inning: Nicole Nordella, Ariana Mullin, Tait and Orphanos.



Bates got back a run in the seventh as Saniuk's single scored pinch hitter Karen Ullmann (Ramsey, N.J.), who had walked.



Bates went ahead 2-0 in the third, loading the bases with one out for Katherine Buckley's (Middlebury, Conn.) hit by pitch RBI and Leah Citrin's (Rye Brook, N.Y.) RBI sacrifice fly. In the fourth the Bobcats made it 3-0 when Jean McIntyre (Marshfield, Mass.) led off with a single, advanced to third on Lauren Dobish's (Chambersburg, Pa.) sacrifice and a passed ball, then scored on Kelly McManus's (Plymouth, N.H.) sacrifice bunt.



Katherine Poulos (8-8) earned the complete-game victory for Trinity, allowing four runs on seven hits and five walks. Finn (4-7) accepted the loss for Bates, going 5 2/3 innings before giving way to Christina Knobel (Walpole, Mass.), who went 1 1/3 innings of relief.



Every Trinity starter had a hit and the Bantams collected 17 hits in all. Stoltenberg led the way, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs.



Leah Maciejewski and McIntyre both went 2-for-3 for Bates, which collected seven hits in all.



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