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March 21, 2008
Box Score (vs. UW-Eau Claire) | Box Score (vs. Nichols) |
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Babson softball team wrapped up its spring break trip to Tucson with a stellar performance on Friday, as the Beavers bounced back from an early 8-1 loss to eighth-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to record wins over Nichols, 16-2, and 21st-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 5-3. Babson managed just six hits and one run in the opener, with first-year Jess Winer driving in sophomore Michelle Bolduc with a fourth-inning single for the team's lone tally. Junior Kaitlyn Clark went 2-for-4 in the loss, while senior Jess Byrn gave up three earned runs and struck out five in three innings on the mound. The Beavers blasted Nichols in their second game of the day, winning by a score of 16-2 in a contest that was stopped after five innings. Sophomore Danielle Liska went the distance on the mound for Babson, giving up two unearned runs on four hits and fanning seven to earn her second win of the year. Offensively, the Beavers were led by Byrn, who went 4-for-4 with a run scored and four RBIs, and senior captain Jess Cohen, who finished 2-for-4 with three runs and four driven in. Winer and Bolduc each chipped in with two hits and two RBIs, and junior Courtney Thurston also knocked in a pair. Babson's most impressive win of the entire week came in its final contest, as the Beavers squared off against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, which came into the game ranked 21st in the country by the NFCA with a record of 11-1.
Facing its second nationally-ranked foe of the day, Babson erupted for all five of its runs in the second inning. After a walk to sophomore Brittney Russo and back-to-back singles by Cohen and Byrn loaded the bases, first-year Meg Cyr drove in the first run with a fielder's choice groudner to third. The Beavers then loaded the bases again on a single by Thurston, and first-year Nicole Giuliano followed with the biggest hit of the game as she ripped a two-run double to give the Green and White a 3-0 lead. Stevens Point would later commit a costly error in the inning that allowed both Thurston and Giuliano to score as the Beavers grabbed an early 5-0 lead. That would ultimately prove to be enough for Byrn, who was outstanding in her second start of the day. The senior righthander pitched all seven innings for the Beavers, giving up unearned runs in the third and fifth and a solo homer in the sixth. For the game, Byrn allowed just one earned run on five hits and no walks while striking out seven. The win improved her record to 4-3 on the year. Byrn also had another solid showing at the plate, joining Giuliano and Thurston with two hits apiece. |
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