The Polar Bears traveled to nearby Lewiston last Friday to take on the Bates Bobcats for the first of a three-game NESCAC East division series. Bates came in hot after winning four of its last five games and decisively beat the Bears 8-1. Bowdoin committed seven errors behind starter Karen Reni '09, who took the loss. In six innings of work, Reni (3-4) allowed five earned runs on seven hits.
Clare Ronan '10 provided the Polar Bears with their only run of the first game as she led off the second inning with a solo home run. Ronan added two more hits to lead the team as Hillary Smyth '12 and Shavonne Lord '10 had two hits of their own in the loss.
Bowdoin hosted the Bobcats for the final two games of their series at Pickard Field on Saturday. After six no-hit innings for Bowdoin, Julia Jacobs '10 surrendered Bates' only hit of the game with three outs left in a 4-0 win. The Polar Bears scored all four runs in the first three innings as Jacobs (6-5) shut out her opponents.
"Twirling a one-hitter to any NESCAC team is a noteworthy feat," Reni said.
The all-important third game of a split series did not go the Bears' way as Bates returned the favor with a 5-0 shutout win. After her success in game one, Coach Ryan Sullivan gave Jacobs the nod to start game two. The only hit Jacobs gave up was a bases-clearing three-run double as she took the loss after pitching just three innings.
"Losing the series to Bates this past weekend has made making playoffs a lot harder," said Reni. "At the same time, there is a sense of urgency to dust ourselves off and start playing to the potential we know we have."
The Polar Bears' NESCAC record falls to 2-4.
On Tuesday the Polar Bears hosted Thomas College for a non-conference afternoon doubleheader. Jacobs took the mound once more in game one giving up just one run in six innings. The Bowdoin bats rebounded from the Bates series, amassing 14 hits against Thomas in a 9-1 victory. Ronan went four for four from the plate and Ali Coleman '09 drove in four runs.
Game two looked to be much of the same as Bowdoin scored four runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Coleman drove in two with her third home run of the year. Thomas fought back, however, tying the game at five in the fifth inning. Reni relieved Michelle Wells '12 to hold the Terriers as the game ended in a 5-5 tie.
The Polar Bears added two more wins on Wednesday against the University of Southern Maine Huskies (5-25). Reni pitched five strong innings in game one as she led the Polar Bears to a 12-1 mercy-rule victory. First year Courtney Colantuno drove in two runs while going three for four at the plate with two doubles.
Game two looked ominous as the Huskies jumped out to a first inning 2-0 lead. Bowdoin fought back in the second, plating four runs. Colantuno earned the win in relief for Reni, pitching three scoreless innings. The Polar Bears added one more run in the fourth inning and ended the game with a 5-3 victory. With the sweep of USM, Bowdoin improves its overall record to 19-12-1.
Sullivan became the first coach in Bowdoin softball history to surpass the 100-win mark after the two wins against the University of Maine at Farmington last Thursday.
"It's always nice to achieve milestones, but in this regard it certainly is about the players who play and achieve on the field," said Sullivan.
He looks to keep the wins coming as the Polar Bears travel to Tufts this weekend for three divisional games to battle the undefeated Jumbos (29-0, 9-0). "The difference for softball is that in the divisional format, only the top two teams from the East will qualify for the NESCACs, so any loss really puts pressure on the other contests," added Sullivan. "It creates a great competitive atmosphere."