Babson Park, Mass. – May 7, 2025 – On day one of the 2025 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Championship Tournament, Springfield College advanced past seventh-seeded Coast Guard, 3-2, before falling to second-seeded Babson College, 2-1, in 10 innings.

Springfield's record moves to 30-12 and will take on fourth-seeded WPI in an elimination game tomorrow at 12:00 pm on the campus of MIT, while Babson improved to 25-13 and will play in the winner's bracket game against the top-seeded Engineers at 4:00 pm. Coast Guard will also play in an elimination game against fifth-seeded Wheaton College at 10:00 am at MIT to kick off the day.

With the win over Coast Guard, Springfield secured its sixth 30 win season in Division III program history. Previously, Springfield reached the 30 win mark in 2000 (30), 2001 (41), 2003 (33), 2017 (32) and 2023 (35).

Springfield 3, Coast Guard 2

The first five innings of the game featured a pitcher's duel between Amelia DeRosa (Miller Place, N.Y.) and Dana Walker as both teams combined for just five hits. DeRosa (11-7) ultimately picked up the win going a complete seven, allowing six hits and two earned runs to go along with five strikeouts.

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Springfield loaded the bases on an error, walk and single by Michaela Ponticello (Gloversville, N.Y.), but Walker got out of the jam keeping the game scoreless. 

Coast Guard nearly took a 1-0 lead in the fourth as Abriana Schmutz began the frame with a single to center. An error allowed her to round third and attempt to score, but a relay from Kate Katsetos (Farmingdale, N.Y.) from foul territory gunned Schmutz down at the plate. DeRosa then got out of the fourth with a groundout. 

Carissa Pecchia (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) began the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle and was pinch run for by Lyndsay Donston (South Windsor, Conn.). Donston moved to second on a walk by Callie Gendron (Berlin, Conn.) before she scored the game's first run on a double off the wall in center by Lucy Puskas (Roxbury, Conn.). Then with Puskas and Ponticello in scoring position, Katestos drilled the ball over the left fielder's head for a 3-0 Springfield lead.

Coast Guard rallied in the top of the seventh with back-to-back singles and a sac bunt to put the tying run at the plate. A two-run double by Madeline Kibler allowed Emily Behel and Bridget Bartz to cross the plate before Kibler advanced to third on an error. Victoria Krystofik hit the ball to third and Kibler was tagged out on third for the second out before DeRosa struck out the side ending the game, 3-2, pushing Springfield into the next game against the host Beavers.

Babson 2, Springfield 1 (10 Innings)

Game two was an instant classic between Springfield and Babson as the score stood at 1-1 through seven before the game extended into the tenth inning.

Babson's Moira O'Reilly and Springfield's Lily McCauliffe (Greenwich, N.Y.) went pitch for pitch as O'Reilly tossed the first seven innings and struck out nine, while McCauliffe went all ten frames and struck out five for the Pride.

With one out in the second, Belle DiCampello reached on an error and stole second before she came across to score the game's first run on an RBI single by Ruby Madia. The score remained the same until the top of the sixth. With two outs, Pecchia drilled a double to right center and came across with the tying run on a single off the fence by Gendron.

Springfield got out of a jam in the eighth before both teams went down 1-2-3 in the ninth setting up the walk off win for Babson in the tenth. Springfield had the go ahead run on third following a wild pitch in the tenth, but Cameron Whiteford retired the side for the hosts.

Then in the bottom of the tenth, Kay LaLiberty moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored the winning run on a single to the gap by Emily Walsh pushing Babson into the winner's bracket.

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