WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Bates softball team got their bats going in a doubleheader split at WPI on Tuesday, winning game one 5-1 before falling 16-8 in game two.

It's the two highest scoring games of the season for the Bates offense, and the Bobcats (3-10) hope to keep the momentum going Saturday when they return to NESCAC play with a doubleheader at Middlebury.

Game One: Bates 5, WPI 1

Sophomore Delaney Rankin tossed a four-hitter and the Bobcats scored five times in the third inning, defeating WPI 5-1 in game one of Tuesday's doubleheader.

With the game scoreless, first-year Elizabeth Pellini (Shrewsbury, Mass.) got the offense started with her first collegiate hit, an infield single to lead off the inning. Fellow first-year Zariya Anderson (Wayzata, Minn.) tripled her home to put Bates up 1-0. One out later, sophomore Kennedy Jones (Ocean Springs, Miss.) singled in Anderson for a 2-0 lead. Rankin (Harrison, Maine) drew a walk and first-year Isabel Bettencourt (Peabody, Mass.) reached on an infield single to load the bases. Sophomore Lily Freedman (Larchmont, N.Y.) got hit by a pitch to force in another run and senior captain Rachel Liazos (Westborough, Mass.) singled down the left field line, scoring two and putting Bates up 5-0.

Rankin (2-5) went the distance for the Bobcats to earn the win, striking out four and allowing just one run on four hits.

Bates tallied 11 hits, paced by Jones, who went 3-4 at the plate a run scored and an RBI. Bettencourt and Liazos both went 2-4 at the dish for the Bobcats.

Game Two: WPI 16, Bates 8 (5 innings)

The Bobcats held a 6-3 lead until WPI tallied seven runs in the fourth and six runs in the fifth to run away with a 16-8 win over Bates in game two of Tuesday's doubleheader.

Bates got on the board right away in the top of the first. With two outs, Jones drew a walk and Bettencourt singled her to second. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch and Liazos singled both in for a 2-0 Bates lead.

The Engineers (6-7-1) got a run back in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly before Bates added another run in the second. Pellini singled down the right field line and advanced to second on an error to start the frame. She moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out from first-year Emily Kennedy (East Hampton, N.Y.) to put Bates up 3-1.

WPI picked up a run in the second and a run in the third, tying the game at three. Then the Bobcats scored three in the fourth. Kennedy singled up the middle to start the frame and eventually scored on a wild pitch. First-year Maya Lee (Wayland, Mass.) chipped in an RBI double and Jones singled Lee home for a 6-3 Bates edge.

But the game got away from Bates in the bottom half of the fourth, as WPI scored seven runs, five of which were unearned. 

Now down 10-6, the Bobcats attempted to rally in the top of the fifth. Pellini led off with an infield single and Kennedy drew a walk. Then sophomore Emma Yen (Albertson, N.Y.) got hit by a pitch as well, loading the bases. Anderson and Lee both contributed RBI ground outs to cut the deficit to 10-8.

However, the Engineers weren't done, scoring six in the bottom of the fifth to walk off with the run-rule victory. A Virginia McKinney RBI single provided the final margin of victory for the hosts.

Pellini paced the Bates offense in game two, going 2-3 at the plate with two runs scored.