Maddie Inlow hit two doubles in Bates' 12-2 win over Colby in the first game of their doubleheader at Husson on April 6, 2014. (File photo by Risley Sports Photography) 

BANGOR, Maine -- Junior Kira Shaikh had three hits and first-year Maddie Inlow had a pair of doubles for the Bates softball team, as the Bobcats recorded their first NESCAC East Division victory of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against Colby on Sunday.

Katie McLaughlin scored twice and had two hits from the lead-off spot for Colby in a 6-5 win over Bates in the nightcap of the twinbill at Husson University. The doubleheader was originally set for Colby, but the games were moved to Husson's turf because the Mules' field still has snow.

The Bobcats (3-9, 1-3 NESCAC East) only led 3-2 after five innings of the first game, but scored four in the sixth and five more in the seventh to pull away.

Senior Alayna Garbarino (Reading, Mass.) and junior Molly Brown (South Dartmouth, Mass.) both had RBI singles in the inning. Garbarino brought in Inlow (Falmouth, Maine), who had led off with a walk, while Brown scored Shaikh after she had doubled. Two Colby errors helped score the other two runs.

Shaikh and sophomore Karen Lockhart (East Greenwich, R.I.) had RBI singles in the seventh inning and teammates Inlow and Garbarino both doubled. The Mules again had two errors to bring in three unearned runs.

Bates junior Kelsey Freedman (Falmouth, Maine) pitched a complete game in the opener, with six strikeouts and two walks.

Megan Michie struck out eight and walked one to earn the second game victory for Colby (4-9 overall, 1-1 NESCAC East).

The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first of the second contest. Shaikh's single to left field brought in sophomore Alex Eliopoulos (Akron, Ohio), who had earlier singled. 

Colby answered with a lone run in the bottom of the first. McLaughlin led off with a double and then scored when she went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error.

The Bobcats scored another run in the top of the second when Brown was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. She was sacrificed over by sophomore Anna Berenson (Topsfield, Mass.), moved to third on a single by junior Brenna Callahan (Milton, Mass.), and scored on an RBI groundout by Lockhart.

Colby went ahead for good with three runs in its second inning. Tori Sansone led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice by Meaghan Lewia. Maria Ennamorati reached on an error, Robin Spofford walked to load the bases, McLaughlin got on by another error as Sansone scored, Erica Pulford reached on a third error by the Bobcats that brought in Ennamorati for a 3-2 lead, and McLaughlin later came in with the fourth run on the fourth error of the inning.

The Mules added two important runs in the fourth inning. Lewia led off with a single, Spofford had a one-out walk, McLaughlin advanced the runners with a groundout, and Pulford followed with a two-run single for a 6-2 margin.

Bates scored three runs in the fifth for the final runs of the contest. Freedman singled to left, Shaikh doubled to left with one out, and Garbarino followed with another double to bring both runners home. With two outs, Berenson singled to left to bring in Garbarino with the third run of the inning.

Bates has the coming week off for final exams, and will resume its schedule on Monday, April 14, when the Bobcats finish up their three-game series at Trinity with a single makeup game at 4pm. Bates then plays its home opener with a doubleheader against UMaine-Farmington on April 15.