Springfield, Mass. — April 16, 2011 — The Springfield College softball team came back in game #2 to defeat Babson, 9-0, in five innings in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference doubleheader. By so doing, SC guaranteed it would finish second in the NEWMAC standings. In game #1, Babson won an exciting see-saw contest, 8-7, in eight innings.

With the second-game win, SC upped its overall record to 22-13 overall, 12-4 in the NEWMAC. Babson is now 21-16 overall, and 9-6 in the NEWMAC with one league game to go.

In the second game, freshman pitcher Ashley Marino played the staring role for the Pride. She gave up just one hit overall, a hard-hit ball that skipped past the third baseman by Catie Funk with two outs in the top of the fourth. Turns out that was the only baserunner Marino allowed to the Beavers. Now 10-6, Marino struck out five.

In the fifth, Marino finished with a flourish, striking out two, and inducing a ground ball back to the pitcher to end it.

Springfield had scored three runs in the first, and added two in the fifth on a two-run home run to right by Breann Joyce. The Pride then scored four more runs in the fourth. In that inning, Kelly Blake scorched a double for two RBI’s. Amanda Novak hit a sacrifice fly, and Joyce singled home another.

In the first game, Babson led four times, while Springfield led twice, including 7-5 entering the top of the seventh. But Nicole Latini doubled home one run, and Jess Winer singled home the tying run.

In the eighth, after Sammy Kiley began the inning by being sacrificed to third, Breezy DiPietro hit a hard ground ball to second. SC’s Kasey Kelly elected to go home with the throw, but Kiley snuck in safely for what turned out to be winning run.

Megan Brain, who threw the final three innings, got the win. She took the loss in game #2.