Senior captain Emily Samar hit the first home run of the season for the Bates softball team and the Bobcats split a pair of games against Manchester and Keuka on Friday to wrap up their annual trip to Florida.
Bates (3-5) fell to Manchester (4-10) by a score of 10-2 in six innings before bouncing back to defeat Keuka (0-5) 11-3 in five innings.
Manchester 10, Bates 2 (6 innings)
Bates kept it close with Manchester until the Spartans scored two in the fifth and four in the sixth to walk-off with the 10-2 win over the Bobcats.
Down 2-0, Bates rallied to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Senior Eliza McNulty (Cambridge, Mass.) got the rally started with a single. Then junior Lindsey Kim (Palo Alto, Calif.) reached on an error and the pair pulled off a double steal, putting runners at second and third. First-year Maggie Hillwig (Phoenix, Md.) followed with a sacrifice fly and with two down senior captain Janell Sato (Honolulu, Hawaii) singled home Kim, tying the game at two.
Manchester's Delayne Sanchez delivered a two-out, two-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to put the Spartans ahead for good.
With the score 4-2, the Spartans added two more in the fifth thanks to a pair of Bobcat errors. Then they scored four in the sixth to end the game an inning early.
Seven unearned runs crossed the plate in the game for Manchester as Bates made four errors in the field. Hillwig (1-4) took the loss in the circle despite only giving up three earned runs in five plus innings pitched, striking out a pair of batters along the way.
Kaitlyn Carr (2-1) pitched a complete game for the Spartans, allowing just a pair of unearned runs on four hits. She did not walk anyone in the contest and struck out two.
Bates 11, Keuka 3 (5 innings)
The Bobcats scored all 11 of their runs over the course of the first three innings, running away with an 11-3 win in five innings Friday against Keuka, ending the annual Florida trip on a high note.
Junior Cassidy Musco (Walpole, Mass.) got the offense going in the top of the first with a double to left center. Samar (New York City) doubled home Musco and one out later Kim singled in Samar to make the score 2-0.
Sophomore Rachel Liazos (Westborough, Mass.) reached on an error and with two away, senior Aleah Pagan (Orinda, Calif.) got hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Junior Amanda Taylor (Fairlawn, N.J.) followed with a single to center, driving in Liazos and extending the lead to 3-0.
After batting around in the first, Bates added five runs in the second. Once again, Musco got things started, this time with a single to center. Samar and McNulty smacked back-to-back singles, loading the bases with nobody out.
Kim singled in Musco and Liazos reached on another Keuka error, this time getting credit for an RBI with Samar crossing the plate on the play. One out later, Pagan singled in McNulty and Taylor doubled home Kim and Liazos.
Samar led off the third inning with a solo home run, the first by a Bobcat this season and the first of her career. McNulty reached on an error, advancing to second on the play. Then Kim doubled her home. One out later, Sato doubled in Kim and the Bobcats led 11-0.
That was more than enough offense for senior right-hander Danielle Polirer (Bellmore, N.Y.) who allowed just one earned run on three hits in five innings pitched. She struck out six batters along the way for her second win of the young season.
The Bobcats tallied 14 hits in the victory.
Bates is back in action for the start of NESCAC play next Friday at Trinity, with first pitch set for 4pm.
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