1998 Bates College Softball

Bates 4, Bowdoin 3

The Bates College Bobcats (5-5) upped their record to 5-0 at home with their first Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Conference win, a 4-3 victory over Bowdoin College (3-18).

Both teams scored two runs in the first inning. In the top half of the first, the Polar Bears got the first two batters on base on an error and a single and brought them home on RBI groundouts by senior LF Kelli Conroy (Old Greenwich, Conn.) and senior 3B Tara Schroeder (Stratham, N.H.). The two Bobcat seniors answered in the bottom half of the inning with RBI singles from CF Brandi Richards (Kingsfield, Maine) and 3B Tonie Taft (Liverpool, N.Y.). Bates took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third when Richards knocked home sophomore RF Katie Marshall (Contoocook, N.H.), who led off the inning with a double. Bowdoin answered when senior 2B Beth Previte (Reading, Mass.) laid down a successful suicide squeeze.

Bates won the game in the bottom of the sixth junior 1B Abbey DeRocker (Queensbury, N.Y.) reached base on an error by Bowdoin sophomore SS Annie Pinkert (Highland Park, Ill.). After Taft reached on a fielder's choice amd moved to second on a ground out, sophomore DH Jolene Thurston (Post Mills, Vt.) grounded another ball to Pinkert, who threw it away, allowing Taft to score the winning run. Bates pitcher Becky Gasior (Park Ridge, N.J.) retired the side in order in the seventh to pick up the win.

Bates 4, Bowdoin 3
                                R  H  E
Bowdoin (3-18)     200 100 0 -- 3  4  4
Bates (5-5)        201 001 x -- 4  4  2

Ba: Becky Gasior (3-3) and Peggy Ficks.
Bo: Julie Jussaume (3-14) and Kristen Marshall.
2B: B, Katie Marshall.