BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin softball team stunned Williams in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs with an extra-innings 4-1 win over the second-seeded Ephs.
 
The Polar Bears advance to the semifinals with a 21-18 overall record and avenge an early season doubleheader loss to the Ephs (26-11). Bowdoin returns to the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
 
Game Highlights

• Bowdoin took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and held on to the advantage until the bottom of the seventh.
• Reilly Parga put the Polar Bears on the board with a single to left that plated Penelope Fong-Picariello.
• Maddie Current pitched six shutout innings and fanned eight batters with a spattering of three hits before the Ephs found a run in the top of the seventh.
• Sydney Fleming jacked a leadoff home run over the left center fence to force extra innings.
• Kathleen Hester came into the game with no outs and a runner on first. Hester found two outs before a walk put two runners on base. Hester struck out a batter to end the inning.
• A quick eighth inning on both sides sent Rosie Panenka to the plate in the ninth. The leadoff walk put Panenka on base and Ella Davies came in to pinch run. Davies quickly stole second and advanced to third on an Elise Siciliano groundout.
• Anika Ewert put a perfect bunt down in front of the plate, leaving runners on the corners with one out. Ewert quickly stole second.
• Fong-Picariello drove in both runners, singling up the middle, to make it 3-1. Fong-Picariello stole second and eventually scored on Maddie Paschke's RBI single up the middle.
• After a single to open the bottom of the ninth, Hester retired the side to earn the win and advance.

 
By the Numbers

• Current went six innings with four hits allowed and one earned run. Current struck out eigh batters.
• Hester allowed one hit with a pair of strikeouts in three innings of work.
• The top of the order had a strong day as Ewert and Fong-Picariello both had three hits. Paschke had two.

 
Up Next

• Bowdoin plays in the NESCAC Semifinals on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. against the winner of Wesleyan vs. Bates.