Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England defeated Bates College, 9-7, in the nightcap of a softball doubleheader Thursday afternoon (Apr. 23) at Claude Dubois Field, after the Bobcats edged the Nor'easters in the opener, 5-4.

UNE (17-18) totaled 20 hits in the games, including a pair of two-hit outings by Kelly Murphy and base knocks in both contests by Adrienne Chase and Cat Ouellette. Sara Pelkey earned the victory for Big Blue.

Bates (7-19) also amassed 20 hits during the twinbill, led by Kelsey Freedman and Maddie Inlow with five each. Kira Shaikh and Karen Lockhart combined for another six hits. Freedman picked up the positive decision in the initial match.

The Bobcats carried the momentum from early on into GAME 2, and a one-out single to left by Inlow established a 2-0 lead.

The Nor'easters answered right back in the bottom of the 1st, as Abby Lambert put a one-out single into center to tie things at 2-all. A wild pitch then slide the hosts in front.

After Pelkey worked a 1-2-3 inning, UNE piled on three more runs in the 2nd. With one away, Sydney Helmbrecht, Chase, and Murphy recorded consecutive RBI-singles to increase the cushion.

A sacrifice fly by Helmbrecht in the 3rd bumped the gap to five (7-2), and that spread held until the top of the 6th, when Bates took advantage of an outfield error to get one back.

Helmbrecht's third single was followed in the 6th by the only extra-base hit of the game, a ground-rule double to right-center off the bat of Chase. Murphy drove in one with the first out of the frame and Lambert came through with another RBI-single to center to make it 9-3. The Nor'easters moved two more runners into scoring position with still just one down, but could not pad the advantage.

Two outs from a comfortable result in the top of the 7th, the Bobcats logged three straight singles and capitalized on an error to get two runs closer (9-5). Another error and it was 9-6, before Inlow posted her third hit of the game for a third RBI, cutting the deficit to two. UNE, however, managed to end the threat by putting away grounders from the next two batters.

Helmbrecht (3), Ouellette, and Jessica Diaz combined to account for seven of Big Blue's runs. Pelkey improves to 5-3 behind a pair of strikeouts and no walks, and surrendering five earned runs.

Freedman and Shaikh each scored twice for the visitors. Brenna Callahan struck out four in the loss.

In GAME 1, it was Freedman that gave Bates an early 1-0 lead with a one-out solo shot over the left field fence. Shaikh followed with a triple to right-center, but UNE starter Katelyn Austin fanned the next two to prevent any further damage.

Ouellette led-off the bottom of the 1st with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, and scored when Amanda Vallante registered the first of her two hits, guiding a single just inside the line in shallow left field. A two-out RBI-triple to left by Murphy gave the Nor'easters a 2-1 cushion.

The difference remained until the top of the 6th, when the Bobcats plated three to move ahead. Inlow pulled a one-out RBI-single through the left side, and a squeeze bunt by Callahan netted another run. Two batters later, Paige Ahlholm doubled into the left-center gap to make it 4-2 and leave a pair in scoring position, but Bates failed to push any additional runs across.

UNE trimmed the margin in half (4-3) in the bottom of the stanza, after two one-out singles and back-to-back walks with two down. Freedman, working from the circle, got out of the bases-loaded jam by catching the ensuing batter looking at strike three.

Freedman helped her own cause again in the 7th, notching her third hit and coming around to score on another RBI-single by Inlow.

Facing a 5-3 deficit in their final at-bat, Ouellette started things with a lined double into left-center. A groundout and the throw of a dropped third strike allowed Ouellette to tally UNE's fourth run, but that was all the home side could generate.

Freedman whiffed eight to up her individual mark to 5-9.

For the Nor'easters, Austin worked the initial 4.0 innings, walking none and conceding just one other hit besides the two in the opening frame. Lauren Doneski was tagged with the setback, giving up three earned runs the rest of the way.

Bates returns to Lewiston for the first of a three-game series with Trinity College (Conn.) on Friday.

UNE will be back on the diamond on Saturday, hosting an opening-round contest in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship. Big Blue's opponent will be determined on Friday.