The Bates women’s softball team has had an unbelievable start to the season so far. With nine wins total, captain Victoria Fitzgerald ’18 comments about what she thinks has contributed to the team’s success.
“Our trust in each other, ourselves, and the process has been a main contributor to our success,” she says. “In Florida we had some games where we had to work really hard under high pressure situations to pull off wins, because we had a strong confidence and trust in each other, ourselves, and the process.”
Even with great success, there are times where a team will fall. This was unfortunately the case during Friday and Saturday’s games for the Bobcats. On Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31, the team lost all three games to Trinity College.
On Friday, the Bobcats fell 9-1. Through three innings, the Bantams had an 8-0 lead. In the first inning, Trinity got things going when Erica Merullo started with a base hit before swiping second. The Bobcats threatened for a comeback in the second inning after a walk by Mary Collette ’21, single from Paige Ahlholm ’18, and bases loaded by Kirsten Pelletier ’20. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were left off the scoreboard for the time being.
The Bantams scored twice more from Thomas’s double to deep left center that scored Nicole Towner. Later, Thomas scored on a passed ball. In the third inning, Trinity took advantage of three errors made by the Bobcats, putting them in an 8-0 lead.
After a scoreless fourth inning, the Bobcats came back in the fifth when Andrea Russo ’19 led the inning off with a walk and scored on a sacrifice fly by Collette. Pelletier kept the Bantams from scoring in the home half, but the Bantams came through the following inning.
On Saturday, the Bobcats played two games against Trinity. In the first game, the Bobcats fell 6-5. In the first inning, Bates took a 2-0 lead on a two-single run with two outs by Collette. Soon, the Bantams went ahead 4-2 with run-scoring singles by Treglia and Courtney Erickson. The Bobcats then took the 5-4 lead but Trinity was able to tie the score when Thomas blasted her first career bomb. Although it was a close game, the Bantams ended the game 6-5 when Bantam’s Race punched the game winning hit.
In the second game, the Bobcats fell 4-3. Bates led the game 3-0 after three innings. Trinity’s Race singled and scored an unearned run in the fourth inning. Then, Trinity’s Treglia gave Trinity its lead of the game with her second and third RBI of the afternoon, winning 4-3. Bates’ Caroline Bass ’21 was 5-for-7 with three runs scored and two steals, and both Julia Panepinto ’20 and Russo had three hits in the twinbill.
Having lost all three games this weekend, Fitzgerald mentions that it was a hard moment for the Bobcats. “I would say that some of the hardest moments came from the games we played this weekend,” she says. “However, there were some great learning moments from those games. Coach Barnes actually referred to those games as two ‘learners.’ The team saw how competitive the NESCAC is, and how important it is that we do not let up at all during our games.”
Fitzgerald then remarks that this was definitely a learning experience for the team. “We didn’t come out on Friday as strong as we could and got a bit of a wakeup call with that game. However, I was impressed with how we bounced back on Saturday by putting together two great games that just didn’t go our way,” she says. “On Saturday, the team was extremely resilient; we battled in both games. Both games were really heartbreakers that could have gone either way. In our next series, the team is ready to come out strong in the first game and to build on that with the next games.”
With one of the best team dynamics Fitzgerald has ever seen at her time at Bates, the support and culture within the team will not only help win their best game, but hopefully also clinch a spot in the NESCAC playoffs.
The Bobcats will be playing Tufts at Thomas, MA on April, 4. They are hoping to add another win to their overall score for the season.
