LEWISTON, Maine -- First-year Madison Hollis made a big impact in the circle and at the plate as the Bates softball team swept Thomas College in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, defeating the Terriers 7-1 in game one and 2-1 in game two at Lafayette St. Field.

The Bobcats (13-11) return to NESCAC action this Saturday when they host No. 8 nationally ranked Tufts at 1pm. 

Game One: Bates 7, Thomas 1

Hollis smashed a three-run home run and struck out a season-high 11 batters in a 7-1 win for the Bates softball team over Thomas in game one of Wednesday's doubleheader.

The Bobcats grabbed the lead in the bottom of the third and didn't look back. Senior Cassidy Musco (Walpole, Mass.) got the offense going with a single to center. She advanced to second when the ball got misplayed, putting Musco in scoring position with nobody out. Musco advanced to third on a fly out and scored on a Hollis (McMinnville, Tenn.) RBI single to left-center. First-year Kennedy Jones (Ocean Springs, Miss.) followed with a single up the middle and a ground out moved Hollis to third and Jones to second. Junior Rachel Liazos (Westborough, Mass.) delivered an RBI single, and Bates led 2-0.

Bates added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. First-year Mattea Baumgardner (Media, Pa.) reached on a two-base error and advanced to third on a passed ball. Senior Kama Boswell (Bellevue, Wash.) drove in Baumgardner with a grounder to second. Musco followed with a single and she promptly stole second base. First-year Ella Maher (Newton, Mass.) singled in Musco and the Bobcats extended the advantage to 4-0.

The Terriers strung together some hits in the top of the sixth to score their lone run of the contest. Kaylee Fonseca singled up the middle to get Thomas on the board and cut the Bates lead to 4-1.

But the Bobcats got the big hit they needed to pull away win the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Boswell drew a walk and Musco reached on an infield single. Then with two away, Hollis launched the first home run of her collegiate career, a three-run shot to center, and the Bobcats led by six runs. 

Hollis (5-4) polished off the complete game with a scoreless seventh inning. She allowed just the lone run on six hits in the win. 

Musco and Hollis both went 3-4 at the plate in game one to pace the Bobcats. Musco scored three runs and Hollis drove in four runs.
 
Game Two: Bates 2, Thomas 1

First-year Delaney Rankin allowed just one run on seven hits in a complete game effort as the Bates softball team defeated Thomas College 2-1 in game two of Wednesday's doubleheader, securing the sweep.

The Bobcats got all the runs they needed when they scored two in the bottom of the fourth. Maher led off with a single to shortstop. She stole second and Hollis singled her to third. Hollis stole second and Jones singled in Maher for a 1-0 lead. Rankin (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) drew a walk to load the bases and a wild pitch scored Hollis for the second run of the inning.

With the Bobcats up 2-0, the Terriers (11-12) made things interesting in the top of the seventh. With one out, Kayla Duhaime doubled to left. Then with two away, Katy McIntyre doubled in Duhaime to cut the Bates lead to 2-1. The Terriers got runners to second and third thanks to a base hit from Leah Knight, but Rankin (5-5) got out of the jam and secured the victory when she got Cheyenne Simpson to ground out to second, ending the game.

Bates tallied six hits in game two, with Hollis once again leading the way, going 2-3 with a run scored and a steal. 

Rankin struck out three Terriers in the victory while walking just one.