Softball begins 2015 season

The Hamilton College softball team opened the 2015 season on Sunday, losing a pair of games in Clermont, Fla. The Continentals, who will play 13 games on their spring trip, fell 3-1 to Babson and 5-3 against the University of New England.

Game one box score | Game two box score

Hamilton was held to one hit and shut out over the first six innings of Sunday morning’s opener against Babson (4-2 overall). The Continentals pushed a run across in the top of the seventh before the Beavers shut the door.

Second baseman Phoebe Collins ’18 led off the seventh with a single, stole second and came home on a run-scoring groundout by first baseman Monique St. Jarre ‘15. Babson’s Meghan Hayes ‘15, who had held the Continentals to one hit before Collins’ single, retired the game’s final batter to improve to 3-0 on the year.

Center fielder Hannah Staab ’17 doubled to lead off the game for Hamilton but was stranded at second. Babson held the Continentals to just three base runners over the next five innings. In the third, right fielder Julia Carpenter ’18 reached on an error and one out later Kelly Leonard ’15 was hit by a pitch. Carpenter also got aboard on an error in the top of the fifth.

Madison Dinaso ’15 homered in the bottom of the first and the Beavers scored a run in each of their last two at bats. Hayes, who led off the fifth with a single, scored on an infield error and an inning later Emily Morris ’16 tripled home Meaghan Merullo ‘17.

Leonard allowed six hits and just one earned run. Hayes fanned 10 in the complete-game two-hitter.

Against the Nor’easters, Hamilton scored twice in the first inning before UNE took the lead for good with a three-run third. Hamilton scored once in the bottom of the seventh and brought the winning run to the plate.

Olivia Gozdz ’16 hit a two-run home run one batter after Leonard drew a one-out walk, putting the Continentals up 2-1 in the first. In the seventh St. Jarre led off with a single, moved to third on an infield error and scored on a grounder by Staab. Leonard walked to put the tying run on first, but UNE threw out a Hamilton runner at the plate on an attempted steal to end the game.

Katelyn Austin ’17 threw a complete-game five-hitter for UNE (2-2).

Meghan Bolano ‘16, Abby Lambert ’16 and Paige Moore-Haskell ’17 each had two of UNE’s 11 hits. Lambert singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the third then scored on a double by Mollie Bartles ‘16. Moore-Haskell’s run-scoring single closed out the scoring for the Nor’easters in the fifth.

Staab pitched 2.1 innings of one-hit relief of St. Jarre.

Hamilton returns to action on Monday, March 16, with a pair of games against nationally ranked opponents. The Continentals face No. 22 William Paterson at 3 p.m. and take on No. 13 University of St. Thomas at 7 p.m.