Box Score NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Brittany Purington (Weare, N.H./John Stark) scored on an error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to lift Smith College (2-7) to a thrilling 2-1 win over Elms College (3-9) on a blustery afternoon.  The win was the first at home for the Pioneers since a 10-4 triumph over MIT on April 14, 2009.

A game that was scoreless through 5 1/2 innings sprang into life in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Tessa Clark (Calais, Maine/Calais) led off the frame with a double to left-center, and pinch runner Kat Katides (Quincy, Mass./The Newman School) moved to third on a wild pitch.  Edie Richardson (Franklin, Mass./Fontbonne Academy) brought Katides home when her grounder went right under the glove of Elms' starter Courtney Hampton for the first run of the game.

Smith nearly won the game in the top of the seventh, then nearly surrendered the lead.  After Smith starter Kayla Kiers (West Warwick, R.I./West Warwick) induced Gianna Gonyea to foul out to third, and Hampton hit a deep fly in foul ground that was caught by Helen Buse (Nicasio, Calif./St. Ignatius), Elms tied the game when Ally Witazek cracked her first home run of the season over the fence in right field to tie the score.

Elms then nearly took the lead, as Leah Spring singled and Jen Killion hit a double to put runners on second and third, but Kiers got out of trouble by getting Kellie McLaughlin to ground out to second base.

Smith then won the game in the bottom half of the inning.  Purington led off with a double, and after Helen Buse (Nicasio, Calif./St. Ignatius) struck out, Sarah Goodman (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) singled to the third baseman.  Clark flied out for the second out of the inning, but Kate O'Brien (Santa Cruz, Calif./Santa Cruz)'s pop-up to third was dropped, allowing Purington to slide home with the winning run.

Five different Pioneers had a hit for Smith, while Killion led Elms with a single, a double, and a walk.  Kiers pitched the full game, striking out two and allowing five hits and one run while lowering her ERA by a full run. 

Smith will be at Western New England University on Wednesday, March 28, at 4 p.m.  Elms will open conference play with a doubleheader at Southern Vermont on March 31 at noon.