LEWISTON – University of Maine at Farmington softball (6-19) held a lead in each contest of Monday afternoon’s non-conference doubleheader at Bates College. The Beavers lost game one, 7-1, and then dropped game two, 12-8.
The Beavers started the first game off on a strong note as Alison Hamilton (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth) led the game off with a single and then advanced into scoring position with a stolen base. After Hamilton moved to third on an infield error, Ashley Gleason (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) lined an RBI single to drive Hamilton home.
UMF’s lead held until Bates plated three runs in the fourth inning and then took control in the sixth inning with four more runs.
In the second game, the first two innings were scoreless until the Beavers put a four-spot on the scoreboard in the top of the third. Tasha DeRoche (Peru, Maine/Dirigo) drove home Gleason with an RBI single and then Hamilton crushed a bases-loaded triple.
The Bobcats answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame on four hits to narrow UMF’s lead down to 4-3.
UMF added an insurance run in the fifth inning with an RBI groundout and then increased its lead to 8-3 in the sixth inning with back-to-back doubles from Gleason and Kylie Cunningham (Bangor, Maine/Bangor).
Bates would not go away quietly as the Bobcats came back with nine runs in the bottom of the six on seven hits and forced two UMF errors.
In their last round of at-bats, the Beavers managed to get runners in scoring position with two outs but could not force the game into extra innings.
UMF returns to conference action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Thomas College.
