KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Bowdoin softball team exploded into the 2024 season with a pair of big wins.
 
The Polar Bears are 2-0 following their first day of action after defeating Plymouth State (4-4) by an 11-0 margin in five innings and UNE (1-5) 11-3 in six innings.
 
Plymouth State Game Highlights

• In her first collegiate at-bat, Penelope Fong-Picariello drove in two runs with a single to put Bowdoin on the board in the first inning.
• Kyle Gary and JK Bradley each tagged two-run singles in the second and Fong-Picariello plated Gary thanks to an error at shortstop.
• Fong-Picariello sent a sacrifice fly to center in the third to add another RBI. Sydney Lang scored later scored on an error and Kiera Dent drew a bases loaded walk.
• Bradley capped the game with the team's 11^th run in the fifth, flying out to center and driving in the runner from third.
• Maddie Current went four innings and allowed one hit and three strikeouts. Ellie Sullivan made her collegiate debut in the fifth and drew three consecutive outs.

 
UNE Game Highlights

• Lang got the offense started in the first with a ball to right that allowed Anika Ewert to score.
• Bowdoin trailed 2-1 after the top of the second saw a pair of RBIs by the Nor'Easters.
• The Polar Bears responded with a four-run bottom half of the inning. Bradley, Ewert, Gary, and Lang all drove in runs.
• UNE trailed 5-3 going into the fifth, having found another run off an infield single.
• Shea Sullivan cleared the fence with a solo homer in the fifth. Singles by Ewert, Lang, and Fong-Picarielle gave Bowdoin a 10-3 advantage.
• Ewert's infield single in the bottom of the sixth gave Bowdoin the eight-run differential it needed to wrap the game in six innings.
• Anna Halliday went five innings, allowing seven hits. Kathleen Hester struck out two batters in the sixth inning.