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April 19, 2008
Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
BABSON PARK, Mass. - The Babson College softball closed out its home schedule with a pair of tough losses on Saturday, as the Beavers dropped both ends of a NEWMAC doubleheader with Clark University, 6-5 and 3-1. As a result of the sweep, Clark leaped past Babson into fourth place in the final conference standings, finishing at 20-10 overall and 10-6 in the league. Babson finished fifth at 20-18 overall and 9-7 in the conference. The two squads will now meet again in the opening round of the 2008 NEWMAC Double Elimination Tournament at 2:30 p.m. this coming Wednesday at Wellesley College, with the winner playing the top-seeded Blue later that day. After Clark took a 3-2 lead with a run in the top of the sixth, Babson pulled in front with two in the bottom of the inning, including one on a pop-up that was lost in the sun for an RBI single for first-year Nicole Giuliano (North Reading, Mass.). However, the Cougars answered in the top of the seventh, plating three runs to jump ahead, 6-4. After sophomore Darcy Kurashige-Elliott (Berkeley, Calif.) drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the tying run, classmate Joanna Clark (Windham, Maine) drove in another with an RBI single to left. Sophomore Melissa Traft (Milton, Mass.) also scored on the play when the throw from the outfield got away, giving the visitors a two-run cushion. Babson pulled to within one when junior Courtney Thurston (Taunton, Mass.) singled and later scored from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh, but first-year Sarah Carter (Worcester, Mass.) came on in relief of senior starter Heather Warren (Upland, Calif.) to induce a game-ending groundout with the tying run at second as Clark held on for the 6-5 victory. Warren (4-0) earned the win for the Cougars, giving up five runs - only one of which was earned - in 6 2/3 innings. Carter pitched to one batter and picked up her first save.
Pitching in her final regular season home game, Babson senior Jess Byrn (Safety Harbor, Fla.) suffered the loss to fall to 11-9. The veteran righthander allowed six runs, four earned, on nine hits while striking out four. Byrn also contributed two hits at the plate, while Thurston went 4-for-4 with a run in the loss. Game two saw Traft fire a complete-game gem for Clark, as she allowed just one unearned run on five hits, walked two and fanned four in seven innings. The victory improved her record to 9-6. Traft also helped her own cause at the plate, driving in the first of Clark's two runs in the top of the first and then singling in another run in the second. That gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead and Babson managed just one run in the fifth as the visitors claimed the 3-1 win and the sweep. |
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