CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Bates softball team is off to a strong start to the season after blanking Hood College 6-0 and winning 10-2 in six innings over Webster University Monday morning. 

Bates (3-1) continues play in Florida Tuesday afternoon with games against Lesley and Sage. 

Bates 6, Hood 0

Senior captain Kirsten Pelletier and sophomore Danielle Polirer combined to toss a two-hit shutout in the Bates softball team's 6-0 win over the Hood College Blazers Monday morning. 

Pelletier (Sidney, Maine) struck out six batters and allowed just two singles in three innings of shutout ball. Then Polirer (Bellmore, N.Y.) relieved her in the circle and tossed four no-hit innings, walking one and striking out one to earn the victory. 

The Bobcats did all the damage they needed to do in the second inning, when they tagged Hood starter Kiley Banks (0-3) for five runs. 

With one out, sophomore Aleah Pagan (Orinda, Calif.) singled. Junior Mary Collette (Watertown, Conn.) got hit by a pitch and sophomore Eliza McNulty (Cambridge, Mass.) singled to load the bases.

Then with two away, sophomore Emily Samar (New York, N.Y.) singled in Pagan and Collette, putting Bates up 2-0.

Junior Caroline Bass (Newton, Mass.) followed with a single of her own, scoring McNulty. Then sophomore Kennedy Ishii (Honolulu, Hawaii) reached on an error, plating Samar and extending the lead to 4-0.

Sophomore Janell Sato (Honolulu, Hawaii) singled home Bass to complete the scoring for Bates in the inning.

The Blazers (0-5) threatened in the third inning when Lindsay Wilson led off with a single and moved to third on a Brandi Davidson single. With runners at the corners and one out, Pelletier struck out Jules Baker and Cailyn Barthlow to end the frame.

Politer (1-0) entered in the fourth and retired the side in order. She worked around a one-out walk in the fifth and didn't allow a single Blazer to reach base after that. 

Bates scored its sixth run of the morning in the top of the seventh. Bass singled to start the frame and promptly stole second. Two outs later, senior captain Julia Panepinto (Buffalo, N.Y.) singled her home, making the score 6-0 in favor of the Bobcats.

The Bobcats recorded nine hits in the contest, all of them singles. Bass went 2-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Sato went 2-4 with an RBI and McNulty went 2-3 with a run scored. Samar finished 1-3 with a run scored and two runs batted in. 

Bates 10, Webster 2 (6 innings)

The Bobcats defeated Webster University Monday by a score of 10-2 in six innings despite being out-hit in the contest. 

Bates tallied eight hits in the victory while the Gorloks (5-5) finished with 10 hits. The Bobcats took advantage of four Webster errors, with seven of the 10 runs crossing the plate for Bates of the unearned variety. The Bobcats also drew seven walks and Bates pitchers displayed impeccable control, walking no one and striking out seven.

Junior Payton Buxton (Middlebury, Vt.) got the start in the circle for Bates and pitched three and a third innings. She allowed just one run on six hits, striking out five. Pelletier (2-0) picked up the win out of the bullpen, with two and two thirds innings of one-run ball. She allowed four hits and struck out a pair of Gorloks.

Webster actually got on the board first, plating a run in the top of the first inning. Sheyla Iniguez led off the game and singled through the right side. The Gorloks bunted her to second and Ashlee Seltzer doubled her home. 

But the Bobcats answered in the bottom of the second. Collette drew a walk to start the frame and Pagan reached when the Webster catcher made a throwing error on Pagan's sacrifice bunt. With runners at the corners, Pagan stole second and McNulty drew a walk, loading the bases with one away. First-year Lindsey Kim (Palo Alto, Calif.) drove in Collette with a sacrifice fly and the game stood tied at one.

Bates took the lead for good in the bottom of the third. Ishii drew a walk to start the inning and proceeded to steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch. One out later, Collette reached on a fielder's choice and Ishii scored, putting the Bobcats up 2-1.

Then they broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth. With one away, Kim drew a walk and first-year Cassidy Musco (Walpole, Mass.) reached on catcher's interference. Buss bunted her way aboard, loading the bases. Ishii reached on a fielder's choice and everyone was safe due to an error by the Webster shortstop, with Kim scoring on the play. Sato followed with a sacrifice fly and Bates led 4-1. 

Singles from Collette and Pagan scored Bass and Ishii respectively. And a Panepinto two-RBI double made the score 8-1 in favor of Bates.

The Gorloks got one back in the top of the fifth when Ashlee Seltzer doubled to start the frame and Emma Seltzer singled her home.

But Bates struck again in the bottom of the fifth. Musco led off with a walk and Bass reached on an infield single. Ishii bunted the runners over and Sato drove in Musco with a ground out to second.

Up 9-2, the Bobcats earned the eight-run rule victory in the bottom of the sixth. Pagan singled and Panepinto doubled her to third with nobody out. Two outs later, Musco drew a walk and Bass delivered a walk-off single to left.

Bass finished the game 3-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Panepinto went 2-4 with a double and two RBIs. Pagan also tallied a pair of hits with two runs scored and an RBI. 

The Gorloks used four pitchers in the game, with reliever Breelyn Craig (0-3) taking the loss.