LEWISTON, Maine – Battling frigid temperatures and steady snowfall, Bates softball returned home to Lafayette Street Field for the first time in 2026, earning a split against No. 20 Husson on Tuesday afternoon.
Husson took the opener, 5–1, before the Bobcats responded emphatically with a 10–1 victory in five innings in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
The Eagles set the tone early, scoring in each of the first three innings. A leadoff triple and sacrifice fly plated the game's first run, and Husson added another in the second on a double steal to make it 2–0.
Husson extended the lead to 3–0 in the third on an RBI double from SS Lydia Rice before adding insurance tallies in the sixth and seventh. The Eagles finished with 13 hits in the game .
Bates threatened in the first and third innings but couldn't break through until the sixth. After C Isabel Bettencourt reached on an error, pinch runner Paige Schedler eventually came around to score on Sophie Garber's RBI single, accounting for the Bobcats' lone run .
SS Ella Maher led Bates with three hits, while Delaney Rankin added a double. Brigid Gaffny (0-5) went the distance in the circle. Ana Lang (7-1) collected the complete-game win for the visitors (7.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, BB, 7 K).
GAME TWO
The Bobcats (9-12) flipped the script in the nightcap, capitalizing on early opportunities before breaking the game open with a six-run fourth inning.
Bates struck first in the opening frame on an RBI groundout from Bettencourt, then took control in the second, scoring three runs—two coming on Husson miscues and another on an RBI single from CF Maya Lee.
After Husson (14-2) got on the board with a Rice solo home run in the fourth, Bates responded with its biggest inning of the season. Lee delivered a two-run single, Maher followed with an RBI knock, Bettencourt added a sacrifice fly, and Rankin capped the rally with a two-run homer to left-center ... the second-career dinger for the senior.
Lee finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs scored. Rankin (4-4) earned the pitching victory for the garnet and white (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K).
Returning to NESCAC action this Saturday, the Bobcats visit Williams for a pair starting at noon.