WATERVILLE, Maine -- The Bates softball team grabbed an early lead in game one but Colby College slugged their way past the Bobcats by scores of 9-3 and 10-3 in a NESCAC doubleheader on Saturday.
The Bobcats (5-10, 0-5 NESCAC) look to win the series finale when they host Colby (13-8, 2-0 NESCAC) Sunday at 1pm.
Game One: Colby 9, Bates 3
The Mules scored two runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to pull away from the Bobcats and defeat Bates 9-3 in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.
Bates grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, senior
Kennedy Ishii (Honolulu, Hawaii) drew a walk. Senior captain
Janell Sato (Honlulu, Hawaii) doubled in Ishii and junior
Lindsey Kim (Palo Alto, Calif.) doubled home Sato.
But the Mules struck back with four runs in the bottom of the first. An error and a walk started the frame, and Logan Luebbe tripled in two runners, tying the game at two. Amanda Cabral drove in Luebbe with a sacrifice fly to left, giving Colby the lead for good. Abby Orso drew a walk and with two away, Payton Crowley doubled her home.
Down 4-2, the Bobcats got a run back in the top of the second. With one out, first-year
Sarah Cooke (Wenham, Mass.) reached on an error. Ishii bunted her to second and Sato doubled Cooke home, cutting the Colby lead to 4-3.
The Mules got an insurance run in the bottom of the second, when a wild pitch scored Lauren Ilano from third.
The game remained 5-3 until the bottom of the fifth. A walk and a hit by pitch eventually set-up a two-run single from Colleen McAvoy. A wild pitch and a bases loaded walk rounded out the scoring for the home team in the sixth.
Meanwhile, after some early offense, Bates' bats went quiet down the stretch of game one against Colby pitchers Sam Ahlholm (4-0) and Abby Orso. The Bobcats finished with four hits in the contest, with just one after the second inning.
Game Two: Colby 10, Bates 3
The Mules scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth, propelling them to a 10-3 win over Bates in game two of Saturday's doubleheader.
Trailing 2-0, the Bobcats rallied and tied the game at two in the top of the third. With two outs and nobody on, Cooke singled. Ishii drew a walk and Sato doubled in both runners.
Three walks and a hit by pitch combined to let Colby take the lead back in the fourth. Then Chloe Wilcox smacked a grand slam home run, extending the lead to 7-2.
Sato drove in another run in the fifth but by then it was too little too late for Bates, as the Mules held the Bobcats to just three hits in game two.
Orso (6-2) struck out seven batters in the complete game effort.
Sato was the start of the twin bill for Bates, going 4-7 with a run scored, five RBIs, and three doubles.
