CLERMONT, Fla. – The Bowdoin softball team opened the 2018 season with a pair of victories over Smith College and UMass-Boston on Wednesday afternoon.

The Polar Bears (2-0) pinned a 3-1 setback on the Pioneers (1-7). Bowdoin finished off the Beacons (2-6) in five innings with a 10-2 win.

Game One Highlights

• The Pioneers struck first in the bottom of the second inning off an RBI single to center with runners on second and third.
• The two teams moved quickly up and down the lineup through the next few innings, with Bowdoin putting runners in scoring position but never able to convert.
• Lauren O'Shea finally tied the game for the Polar Bears with a solo homerun to center in the sixth.
• Claire McCarthy tagged a two-run blast over the right field fence in the last inning, to give Bowdoin the victory.
• Samantha Roy pitched the first four innings and allowed a pair of hits with three strikeouts. Allison Rutz fanned four batters and allowed three hits in as many innings of work.

Game Two Highlights

• Kate Hoadley went the distance for Bowdoin in game two, pitching fiving innings and allowing four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
• O'Shea tagged her second homer of the day in the bottom of the first, this time a two-run shot to left center.
• Jordan Gowdy singled through the left side, driving in Samantha Valdivia, in the bottom of the second. O'Shea recorded her third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right that drove in Ali Miller.
• Rice doubled to left center to round out the second inning scoring and give Bowdoin a 5-0 lead after two.
• The Polar Bears added three more in their next at-bat. Miller sent a single to center, O'Shea wore a bases-loaded pitch, and Rice hit a ball to left, all resulting in runs.
• The Beacons got a pair of runs back in the fourth on a groundout and homer to left.
• Caroline Rice hit a walk-off single to center in the bottom of the fifth to give Bowdoin the 10-2 victory.

Up Next

• Bowdoin returns to action on Thursday with a pair of games against Framingham State (4:30 p.m.) and Endicott (7:00 p.m.)