BIDDEFORD, Maine – Bates College softball dropped both games of a doubleheader to the University of New England, falling 3-0 in game one and losing 7-4 in game two, on Wednesday evening at Claude Dubois Field.
The Bobcats (2-8) held an early lead in the nightcap before the Nor'Easters (12-8) rallied. The Bobcats had originally planned to host UNE, but the games were relocated due to field conditions.
Next, Bates will return to NESCAC play against Colby this weekend with site and start times to be determined.
Game One Recap – UNE 3, Bates 0
Junior Brenna Callahan pitched a complete-game seven innings, but UNE's Lauren Doneski and Abby Lambert combined for the shutout, allowing Bates just four hits, in a 3-0 win.
Callahan (Milton, Mass.) struck out three batters and gave up the three runs on seven hits to fall to 1-3.
Doneski (5-3) pitched 4.2 innings in the start with six strikeouts, and Lambert picked up her first save of the year in 2.1 innings of relief.
For UNE, Amanda Vaudreuil went 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs, and Ali Stanley knocked in the team's other run.
For the Bobcats, junior Kelsey Freedman (Falmouth, Maine) went 2-for-3, and classmate Kira Shaikh (Manchester, Conn.) and sophomore Karen Lockhart (East Greenwich, R.I.) each added a hit.
The Nor'Easters plated their first run in the top of the first as Stanley worked a walk with the bases loaded to bring in a run. UNE doubled its lead in the top of the second as Vaudreuil hit an RBI triple down the right field line.
Vaudreuil gave the University of New England its 3-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center field in the top half of the fourth.
Game Two Recap – UNE 7, Bates 4
Bates held leads of 2-0 and 3-1, but UNE rallied for five runs in the third on its way to a 7-4 victory in game two.
Freedman (1-5) pitched a full seven innings for the Bobcats, conceding four earned runs while striking out three.
In the win, Katelyn Austin went 4.2 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. Lambert notched her second save of the day with another 2.1 innings of relief.
For the Nor'Easters, Jessica Potter and Sydney Helmbrecht each recorded two hits and two RBIs.
Senior Alayna Garbarino (Reading, Mass.) enjoyed a 3-for-3 effort at the plate with 2 RBIs for Bates. Lockhart notched a pair of hits while Freedman and Callahan each charted an RBI.
Bates struck in the bottom of the first as Garbarino doubled down the right field line to bring a pair of runs and stake the team to a 2-0 lead. After UNE trimmed the margin to 2-1 in the top of the second, the Bobcats seized a 3-1 edge off an RBI single from Freedman to center field.
The Nor'Easters opened the game up in the top of the third, scoring five runs to grab a 6-3 advantage. With one out in the inning, Potter and Kallie Hernandez plated runs on back-to-back at bats to tie it at 3-3. UNE then scratched three unearned runs across the plate to gain its 6-3 lead.
Bates got one back in the last half of the third, but UNE matched it with a run in the top of the fourth, and neither side scored in the fifth, sixth, or seventh.
