MEDFORD, Mass. – The Bowdoin softball team fell 3-2 in extra-innings to Williams College on Friday evening to open NESCAC Championship play.

The Ephs (29-5) advance to play Tufts in game four of the tournament on Saturday at 12:30 pm. Bowdoin (27-14) will play an elimination game against Middlebury on Saturday morning at 10 am.

The Ephs took a 2-0 lead in their first at bat. Both runs were unearned due to a Polar Bear outfield errors allowing Alison Michalik to reach. Mo Frank moved the runner with a bunt single and Kacey Cramer singled to right scoring Michalik. Frank later scored while Cramer was thrown out stealing second.

Eph starter Brooke Bovier tossed four shutout innings before Bowdoin got to her in the fifth. Victoria Rusch doubled to lead off later scoring off a double by Claire McCarthy. Another double by Adriane Krul made it 2-2.

Emma Harrington and Julia Geaumont pitched scoreless innings from the sixth through the ninth. Harrington would get the win, going 5.2 innings allowing two hits and no runs with six strikeouts and no walks. Geaumont was tagged with the loss, giving up seven hits and three unearned runs with seven K's and five walks in 9.2 innings.

Bowdoin twice staved off defeat with excellent defense late in the game. The Ephs had the game-winning run in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings. Katie Gately picked a throw off a bounce at first base in the seventh and left fielder Cielle Collins made a last-second leaping catch on a ball over her shoulder to end the eighth.

The Polar Bears had the go-ahead run on third in the 10th after McCarthy led off with a double and was sacrificed over, but Bowdoin was unable to bring the runner home.

Williams scored the game-winning run with a two-out rally. With two down, Cramer walked and took second on a Bowdoin error. Tayler Donze followed with the RBI single to end the second-longest game in conference tournament history.