WELLESLEY, Mass. -April 26, 2008 - In game six of the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Tournament, Springfield rode a first-inning homerun to a 3-1 win over Babson College.

In the top of the first, Springfield's Jessica Hillman (Seymour, Conn.) managed a two-out walk and Michelle Wlosek (Nutley, N.J.) followed with a single to right center. Danielle Spiro (South Windsor, Conn.) then hammered a linedrive over the rightfield fence to give the Pride a 3-0 lead.

Babson got on the board in the sixth inning after Brittney Russo (Middletown, Conn.) reached on an error and Nicole Giuliano (North Reading, Mass.) launched a triple to right center drive in a run. With a 3-1 lead, Springfield starter Samantha Rhodes (Mendon, Mass.) pitched around a hit in the bottom of the seventh to hold on for the win.

Rhodes pitched all seven for the Pride, scattering seven hits and allowing only one run. She struck out three and walked two in the win.

On the mound for Babson, Jess Bryn (Safety Harbor, Fla.) threw seven solid innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. She had five strikeouts in the loss. The NEWMAC softball tournament continues today and tomorrow at Wellesley College.

In its second game of the day, the Pride hammered 13 hits in a 9-4 win over Clark in the consolation semifinal of the NEWMAC Softball Tournament. The Pride advance to the consolation final tomorrow at 10:00am at Wellesley College, where they will face Wheaton. The winner will play Wellesley in the finals at noon.

Springfield took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, when Wlosek doubled to left center to score Hillman, who had reached on a fielder's choice. The Pride then erupted in the third, capitalizing on two Clark miscues and singles from Denise Fumicello (Brockton, Mass.), Hillman, Spiro, and Caitlin Corry (Seekonk, Mass.) to score five runs for a 6-0 lead.

The Cougars struck back in the top of the fourth. Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine) led off with a single, advanced to third on Heather Warren's (Upland, Calif.) double, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Melissa Traft (Milton, Maine). Darcy Kurashige-Elliott (Berkeley, Calif.) then doubled to right center, driving in Warren and cutting the Springfield lead to 6-2.

In the bottom of the fifth, Wlosek led off with walk and came around to score on Corry's single to left. With the bases loaded, Fumicello smacked a single to leftcenter, driving in two more runs to stretch Springfield's lead back to 9-2.

Clark scored two in the top of the sixth, with singles from Warren, Traft, Kurashige-Elliott, and Katherine Tutela (Dalton, Maine), to put the score at 9-4, but the Cougars could come no closer in the final inning and a half.

Rhodes earned the win for the Pride, allowing 10 hits and four runs while fanning nine. Spiro was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4, with one RBI. Fumicello added three hits and two RBI, while Corry knocked in a game-high four runs.

Warren took the loss for Clark, allowing five runs on six hits in three innings pitched. Blake tallied three hits for the Cougars, while Warren and Kurashige-Elliott added two a piece.

published: 04/26/2008