LEWISTON, Maine -- Playing at its home Lafayette Street Field for the first time since April 28, 2019, the Bates softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Saint Joseph's College on Wednesday, as the visiting Monks took Game 1 by a 6-2 score and Game 2 by a 6-1 score.
St. Joe's evened its record to 4-4 with its second doubleheader sweep of Bates (0-4) in this abbreviated, late-starting schedule.
Game 1 Recap
Bates pitcher Danielle Polirer and St. Joe's pitcher Sydney Hatch both held the opposition scoreless for the first three innings, but the Monks rallied for five runs in the fourth inning to take control of the game.
Bates committed a series of miscues in the fourth, including three errors, and St. Joe's collected three hits in the decisive inning. After Hannah Gower reached on an error and Olivia Howe drew a walk, Megan Eagleston reached base on an infield single with first base left uncovered, loading the bases. Lydia Howarth dropped a single down the left-field line to score Gower. Howe then came scored on an error at the plate on Madeline Wood's grounder to third, scoring two runs. Emily Jefferds then reached safely on a third error as Wood and Howarth came home for a 5-0 lead. Polirer retired the final two batters to escape further damage.
Bates scored a pair of unearned runs on Hatch in the sixth inning to close the gap to 5-2. Caroline Bass reached on a Monks error to lead off, then advanced to third on Aleah Pagan's single up the middle. Lindsey Kim and Janell Sato hit back-to-back sacrifice fly balls to left to score Bass and Pagan.
St. Joe's added a run in the seventh, as Bailey Rassol drove in Gower with a single to left field.
With all of the Monks' runs unearned, Polirer finished with an impressive pitching line in her first appearance of the season, going the full seven innings and allowing six runs (all unearned) on five hits and five walks while striking out a career-high 11 batters.
Hatch (2-2) held Bates to two unearned runs, giving up four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
Game 2 Recap
St. Joe's collected 11 hits in Game 2, with Rassol leading the way with a 3-for-4 game and first-year Taylor Owen hitting her first career home run, a solo shot to left-center field in the fourth.
Monks pitcher Meredith Pence (2-1) went the full seven innings, allowing one run while scattering nine hits and two walks.
Bates starting pitcher Payton Buxton (0-2) struck out 10 batters, combining with Polirer for 21 on the day. But the Monks, with several lineup changes from the first game, totaled a season-high 11 hits in scoring six runs (three earned) off of the Bobcat senior righthander.
Meranda Martin led off the game with a double, then scored on a single by Rassol for the early lead. Owen then led off of the fourth with her homer for a 2-0 lead.
The Monks then put Bates in a 6-0 hole with four runs in the fifth inning, taking advantage of a pair of miscues. Martin reached on an error to lead off, then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Grace Chadbourne's groundout. Howe drew a walk and Rassol hit an infield single. Makayla Cooper doubled to right center, scoring Howe and then Rassol as well, thanks to a throwing error after being caught in a rundown between third and home. Abigail Jerome then delivered a pinch-hit single up the middle to score Cooper.
Bates answered with its lone run of the game in the fifth inning, as Cassidy Musco lined a leadoff double to left-center and later came home on Bass's single through the left side. Lindsey Kim reached first on an error to load the bases with no outs for the Bobcats, but Pence retired three straight batters to escape the jam. Bates left 12 runners on base in the game.
Bates will begin NESCAC play with a home doubleheader against Bowdoin this Saturday at 1pm.
St. Joe's is next scheduled to play at Southern Maine Apr. 6.
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