Members of the Bates softball team cheer on their teammates. (File Photo by Josh Kuckens/Bates College)

LEWISTON, Maine - The Bates softball team held the lead through four innings, but Bowdoin rallied for five runs late in the game to defeat the Bobcats, 5-1 Friday afternoon in the NESCAC home opener at Lafayette Street Field.

Bowdoin (12-5, 1-0 NESCAC) starting pitcher Julia Beaumont allowed only two hits, both of them triples, from Bates (1-8, 0-1 NESCAC). Bates senior Kelsey Freedman (Falmouth, Maine) scattered five runs on six hits while striking out three and walking two in the loss.

Bates scored the first run in the bottom of the second when senior Kira Shaikh (Manchester, Conn.) led off the frame with a stand up triple. First-year Tori Fitzgerald (Holliston, Mass.) pushed a text-book suicide squeeze down the third base line to bring home Shaikh and give Bates the 1-0 lead.

Freedman retired the first six batters she faced for the Bobcats, and Bowdoin's Victoria Rusch reached on an error for the Polar Bears' first base runner on the day. Freedman was able to induce a double-play from Nicole Nelson and struck out Claire McCarthy to end the inning.

Freedman retired Bowdoin in order in the top of the fourth and looked to help her own cause when she hammered a one-out triple down the right field line in the fifth. But Bowdoin third baseman Adriane Krul continued to apply the tag and Freedman was called out for coming off of the bag, and the Bobcats ended the frame with the 1-0 lead.

The Polar Bears responded offensively in the top of the fifth on back-to-back doubles from Marisa O'Toole and Cielle Collins to even things up at one. O'Toole moved up on a Rusch ground out to short, and scored the go-ahead and eventual winning run on a wild pitch.

Bowdoin added to the lead in the top of the sixth, as Adriane Krul led off with a solo home run down the left field line to put the Polar Bears up by two. Katie Gately and O'Toole reached added RBI singles, scoring Emily Griffin and Lauren Nguyen, who pinch ran for Gately.

Julia Beaumont allowed only two hits while striking out seven and walking none to pick up her sixth win of the season. Offensively, Bowdoin was led by O'Toole who was 2-3 with a pair of RBI's and a run scored.

The two teams are scheduled to return to action on Saturday April 4, for a NESCAC double-header. Game one is set to begin at 2:30, with game two to follow.