HARTFORD, Conn. – Bates College softball fell to Trinity College, 3-0, in game one and dropped a 13-5 decision in six innings in game two despite a first-inning grand slam from junior Kira Shaikh on Saturday afternoon at Campus Field.

In the first NESCAC series of the season for both teams, the Bantams (4-9, 2-0 NESCAC) used pitching to win game one and an offensive burst to take game two from the Bobcats (2-6, 0-2) in the visitors' first contests since Mar. 15.

Bates and Trinity are set to finish the series tomorrow with a game at 11 a.m. 

Game One Recap – Trinity 3, Bates 0

Trinity's Hannah King struck out 11 batters and allowed just three hits in a complete-game seven innings to lead the Bantams past Bates, 3-0 in a game one which started at 10 a.m.

Bates junior Kelsey Freedman (Falmouth, Maine) pitched all six innings for the Bobcats, fanning seven batters and giving up only two earned runs on seven hits.

For Trinity, Miranda Riendeau notched a pair of RBIs, Erica Correa knocked in another run, and Elizabeth McQuaid tallied two hits and scored a run.

Sophomore Alex Eliopoulos (Akron, Ohio) tallied two hits, and classmate Karen Lockhart (East Greenwich, R.I.) added another for the Bobcats.

The Bantams recorded two runs in the bottom of the first as Correa and Riendeau each brought in runs with walks. Neither team could plate a run in the second, third, or fourth innings.

Trinity tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 1-0 lead. Abigail Ostrom singled to lead off the inning, and Riendeau eventually brought her home with a two-out single. 

Bates mounted its best scoring chance in the top of the sixth with Lockhart and Eliopoulos both singling with two outs in the frame.

Game Two Recap –Trinity 13, Bates 5 (6 innings)

Shaikh (Manchester, Conn.) hit a grand slam in the top of the first, and Bates held a 4-1 lead through three innings before Trinity scored four runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, and seven in the sixth to take a 13-5 win in game two.

A newcomer to the team this year, Shaikh recorded the first four RBIs of her career. Shaikh, Freedman, and sophomore Anna Berenson (Topsfield, Mass.) each registered two hits apiece.

McQuaid and Olivia Berry each notched home runs for the Bantams. Berry led the team with four RBIs, and McQuaid, Riendeau, and Claire Prosperi each drove in a pair of runs.

King picked up her second win of the day, throwing five innings in relief and conceding just one run on seven hits.

The Bobcats loaded the bases in the first frame including a single from first-year Maddie Inlow (Falmouth, Maine) and a walk from senior Alayna Garbarino (Reading, Mass.) to set the stage for Shaikh who cleared the bases with one swing.

Trinity trimmed its deficit to 4-1 in the bottom of the first off an RBI single from Riendeau and then gained a 5-4 lead after scoring four runs in the last half of the fourth. McQuaid hit a grand slam of her own to turn the momentum after the Bantams' first three batters in the inning reached safely.

The Bantams took a 6-4 edge after the bottom of the fifth, but Bates pulled within 6-5 in the top of the sixth as Berenson plated Garbarino with a single.

The hosts scored seven times in the bottom of the sixth inning, including a grand slam from Berry, and RBI singles from Riendeau and Prosperi.