LONGMEADOW, Mass. - Bay Path College and Regis College split a New England Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader on a crisp, sunny day at Ryan Field. Regis (7-13 overall, 4-4 NECC) took the opener 11-7, while Bay Path (9-15, 2-4) bounced back to claim the nightcap 4-1.
In the first game, three Wildcats – junior Keelin Dougherty (Northfield, N.H.), sophomore Nicole Ogden (Springfield, Mass.) and senior Nicole Dexter (Delanson, N.Y.) – collected two hits apiece in a losing effort for Bay Path.
Regis, however, scored multiple runs in each of the first five innings and rallied from a 5-4 deficit after two innings en route to the victory. Freshman Kirbie Garvey (Littleton, Mass.) and sophomore Jill Bruning (Medford, Mass.) each collected four hits for the victorious Pride, while sophomoreSamantha Bliss (Framingham, Mass.) added three hits and freshmen Raegan Heck (Phillipston, Mass.) and Katie Cuozzo (Lynn, Mass.) both chipped in two hits.
Freshman Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) scattered two runs on three hits over 5-1/3 innings in relief to earn the victory for Regis. She struck out five and walked one, while evening her record at 5-5. Junior Keelin Dougherty (Northfield, N.H.) went the distance and suffered the loss for Bay Path.
In the second game, Dougherty (6-9) bounced back in a big way and held the Regis lineup in check, limiting the Pride to just one run on five hits in seven solid innings of work. She struck out two and walked four in her second complete-game effort of the day.
Dexter was the hitting star for Bay Path, as her two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the second inning opened the scoring. Ogden added an RBI-single in the third, while freshman Anna Meyer (Millbrook, N.Y.) picked up an RBI-single in the fourth to stake the Wildcats to a 4-0 lead. Meyer drove in three runs in the doubleheader.
Garvey collected two hits for Regis in the nightcap, giving her six hits for the doubleheader. Sophomore Emily Pickett (Wrentham, Mass.) suffered the loss for the Pride in her first decision of the year.
Bay Path visits NECC foe Southern Vermont in Bennington for a doubleheader on Sunday, while Regis will return to the diamond with a home doubleheader against non-conference rival Fitchburg State on Thursday.
Release courtesy of Bay Path College Sports Information