Springfield, Mass. – May 3, 2023 – Second-seeded Springfield College softball walked off with 1-0 win over third-seeded Coast Guard on the opening day of the 2023 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship Tournament. The victory pushes the Pride into the winner's bracket and to 34-7 on the year, while Coast Guard drops to an elimination game come Friday and to 30-10 on the season.

Springfield and Coast Guard both entered today ranked in the second edition of the NCAA Division III Region II Rankings. The Pride were slotted at fourth, while Coast Guard sits sixth of seven teams from the region.

Today's postseason game was an all-out pitchers' duel and was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning. Springfield pitcher Gillian Kane (New Canaan, Conn.) and Coast Guard starter Isabelle Shroyer went out for out.

Kane improved to 13-4 in the circle as she allowed just two hits, one a bunt single in the fourth by Christina Carey and the other in the top of the seventh on a hit to center by Natalie Beck. Beck reached third in the seventh as what would have been the go ahead run, but Kane retired the side and Coast Guard left two on base to keep the game scoreless.

Kristen Acocella (Redding, Conn.) began the bottom of the seventh with a double to left center, moved to third on a ground out to second by Breannah McCann (San Diego, Calif.) and scored the game winning run on a bunt by Alli Olsen (Ridgewood, N.J.).

Today's victory for Springfield marked the 150th win on Alden Street for head coach Kate Bowen and is the fourth coach in program history to obtain that many wins while at Springfield.

The Pride will now await for their opponent to be decided from the other pod of games for a winner's bracket contest on Friday, May 5 at 4:00 at top-seeded MIT. Springfield will either face fourth-seeded WPI, fifth-seeded Babson or the host Engineers.

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