BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The University of Maine notched a pair of shutout victories, 2-0 and 4-0, over Binghamton in the first conference softball games of the season. Sarah Bennis pitched a complete game in the opener, striking out eight and allowing just three hits.
The Black Bears scored first when Brittany Cheney hit a single to score Lauren Dulkis, who had reached base on a double. Dulkis was 2-for-3 on the day.
Cheney notched her second RBI with a sac-fly to left, driving in Lindsay Tibbetts.
Jenna Merchant went five innings in Game 2, striking out one and giving up only one hit in the process.
The game was scoreless in the top of the fifth when Dulkis hit a single, driving in Tara Vilardo. In the sixth inning, the Black Bears added three runs as Dana Grimm hit a single, driving in Molly McKinney and Amy Kulh.
Bates takes two
WALTHAM, Mass. – Bates College squeezed out a pair of wins over Brandeis, 4-3 and 5-4, in softball action Friday.
The Judges (2-11) committed four costly errors in the opener, allowing Bates to score four runs on just three hits. Sophomore left fielder Kate Franklin had a pair of steals and scored twice for Bates.
The Bobcats (3-1) stepped up the hitting in the nightcap as senior shortstop Erin Foye went 3-for-4 and the team recorded nine hits overall. Junior first baseman Kyla Decato had a pair of hits and RBIs for the victors.
Baseball
Tufts 10, Bates 3
MEDFORD, Mass. – Sophomore first baseman Bryan McDavitt hit two home runs, including a grand slam, to drive in seven runs as Tufts cruised to a 10-3 win over Bates in NESCAC East baseball action Friday afternoon.
Jumbos’ (6-5) sophomore starter Ben Simon pitched five scoreless innings until running into trouble in the sixth. A lead-off double by senior second baseman Adam Taranto and run-scoring singles by senior third baseman Adam Worral and junior first baseman Tyler Paul pulled Bates to within two, 4-2. The Bobcats (1-5) narrowed the margin to 4-3 in the seventh when senior outfielder Kyohei Yamada led off with a single and scored on a two-out hit by senior catcher Charlie Engasser. But the Jumbos bounced back with a grand slam from McDavitt to make it 8-3 in the bottom of the frame, before tacking on two more runs in the eighth to seal the victory.
Bowdoin swept
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bowdoin College baseball team, was swept by Trinity in a doubleheader on Friday. The Bantams, ranked fifth in the nation, took Game 1, 11-2 and won Game 2, 8-0.
Trinity improves to 13-1 overall while Bowdoin falls to 7-5 on the year.
Game 1saw the Polar Bears grab an early 2-0 lead after one inning, but the Bantams rallied to score twice in the third to tie the game and five times in the fourth to take a commanding lead.
Trevor Powers was handed the loss for Bowdoin, while Bantam starter Jon Rappaport shut down the Polar Bear offense after a rocky first inning to claim the win.
Jeff Natale hit a home run for Trinity in the victory.
In Game 2, the Polar Bears could muster only six hits off Trinity pitcher Greg Talpey as the Bantams cruised to a shutout win.
Ricky Leclerc took the loss for Bowdoin, even though he allowed just three runs in six innings.
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