BABSON PARK, Mass. – Sarah Goodman (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) went 2-for-2 with a homerun in the opener, but the Smith College softball team fell in a doubleheader to Babson College on Saturday.  The Beavers, who won by scores of 10-2 and 15-0, extended their winning streak to six games as they improved to 17-13 overall and 7-5 in the conference, while the Pioneers' tough luck continued as they fell to 1-24 overall and 0-12 in the NEWMAC.
 
Smith jumped out to an early lead in the opener, as junior Sarah Goodman (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) led off the game with her second home run of the season. That advantage would hold up until the bottom of the second, when junior Kayla Davis led off with a double and, two batters later, Pilkington launched her first collegiate home run well over the wall in left. Later that inning, junior Jess Pashos would lift a sacrifice fly to right, scoring first-year Katie Guido from third for a 3-1 Babson lead.

The Beavers broke the game open with six runs in the third inning – four of which were unearned. Pilkington struck again with a two-run single to left center during the outburst, while sophomore Catie Funk continued her red-hot play with a three-run double to center. Babson would tack on another run when Pilkington drove in sophomore Ashleigh Phelps with a double to left center in the fourth, giving her a career-high five RBIs in the contest.

Sophomore Megan Brain and first-year Tess Rubega  each earned complete-game victories on the mound for Babson. Brain (7-4) allowed two runs on five hits, walked two and struck out one in game one, while Rubega (4-7) fired a one-hit shutout with two walks and a strikeout in game two.

Smith put across its final run of the game in the top of the fifth, as senior Salma Mehter (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt) reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a walk to Goodman, and scored on a single to left by sophomore Brittany Purington (Weare, N.H./John Stark).

First-year Kayla Kiers (West Warwick, R.I./West Warwick)  took the loss in game one for the Pioneers, surrendering six earned runs on eight hits in four innings of work. Goodman was perfect at the plate for the visitors, going 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI in the opener.

Babson wasted no time in game two, scoring four runs in the first and seven more in the second to open up a commanding 11-0 advantage. Funk started the scoring with a two-run homer to center – her fourth round-tripper in the last four days – while Winer and Phelps each added RBI singles later in the first to make it 4-0. The Beavers then erupted for seven more in the second, with Winer, sophomore Jackie Enos (Taunton, Mass.), junior captain Nicole Latini (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Guido, and first-year Sammy Kiley (Lynn, Mass.) each driving in runs. Pilkington would enter the game in the third and drive in her sixth run of the day with an infield, and Latini and Phelps both plated runs in the fourth as Babson built a 15-0 lead.
 
That would be more than enough for Rubega, who carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Pioneers' junior Kathryn Durkin finally broke up the freshman's no-hit bid with a clean single to right in the top of the fifth, but Rubega went on to retire two of the next three batters to finish off the one-hit shutout.

Smith will be in action on Monday afternoon, when they play Westfield State in a 4:30 contest.


(Parts of this release courtesy Babson Sports Information)