Lewiston Times

After back-to-back off days in the Sunshine State, Bates College softball returned to action Friday as the Bobcats won both ends of a doubleheader vs. Lawrence University (Wis.) to improve to 6-2 overall in The Spring Games.

GAME ONE (Bobcats 5, Lawrence University 4)

Bates' starting pitcher, Maggie Hillwig (Phoenix, Md.), worked out of a pair of bases-loaded jams over the first two innings of the opening contest, but the sophomore hurler could not hold off Lawrence University a third time as the Vikings plated the contest's first run, courtesy of a wild pitch, with two outs in the third frame.

The score would hold at 1-0 until the top of the fifth when the Bobcats unloaded for four runs on five hits and a pair of Lawrence miscues to take a three-run lead. DP Kennedy Jones (Fy.-Ocean Springs, Miss.) (single), RF Grace Householter (So.-Manhattan Beach, Calif.) (single), and C Amanda Taylor (Sr.-Fair Lawn, N.J.) (walk) recorded Bates' three RBI in the inning.

The Bobcats took advantage of another costly wild pitch by Viking pitching in the top of the seventh as Delaney Rankin (Fy.-St. Johnsbury, Vt.) (single) scurried home to make the score 5-1 Bates. The run would prove to be the biggest of the game for the garnet and white as Lawrence rallied for three runs on four hits in the bottom of the stanza.

With the tying run standing on second base, the aforementioned Rankin, who came into pitch for the Bobcats to start the fourth inning, induced a pair of infield popups to Lawrence's Mary Boyle and Adrie Villa to clinch the 5-4 Bates win.

Rankin, with her four frames of relief (4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 K) earned the victory to improve to 2-0 in the circle. Xiomara Rueda-Marshall (2-5) suffered the loss (4.1 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, K) for Lawrence.

Householter (2-for-3), Jones (2-for-4), 3B Rachel Liazos (Jr.-Westborough, Mass.) (2-for-4), and Rankin (2-for-2) each enjoyed multi-hit performances as the Bobcat bats stroked 13 hits in the win.

GAME TWO (Bobcats 9, Lawrence University 1) (6 inn.)

A pair of runs in the first, second, and fourth innings, followed by a trio of tallies in the sixth, added up to a 9-1, six-inning defeat of the Vikings (3-13) as the Bobcats collect their second mercy-rule triumph of the trip (Tuesday vs. Keuka).

CF Cassidy Musco (Sr.-Walpole, Mass) (3-for-4, 2B, 2 R), 3B Kama Boswell (Sr.-Bellevue, Wash.) (2-for-4, RBI), and Liazos (2-for-4, R) put together multi-hit efforts for the victors as Bates rapped another 13 hits in the nightcap.

Katherine Merisotis (Sr.-Coventry, Conn.) collected her second win (2-0) in as many starts as the southpaw permitted a lone run (1 ER) on four hits (4 BB), while striking out three Vikings, over four innings pitched. Rankin again came on out of the Bobcat bullpen as the first-year fired two frames of one-hit ball (3 K).

Rankin also added her third hit of the afternoon, smashing a walk-off double to left to plate the game-clinching run with two outs in the sixth. 

Original source can be found here