Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. - The Smith College softball team suffered a pair of close New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) losses to the Babson College Beavers Wednesday afternoon.

The Pioneers dropped their first game of the day to the Beavers, 3-2 before falling 4-0 in the nightcap.

Babson scored first in game one, plating three runs after a two-out error by Smith in the top of the fourth extended the inning.

The Pioneers got to work in the bottom of the fourth as Joanna Giordano (South Salem, N.Y./John Jay) led off the frame with a single through the right side. Tori Brown (New Market, Md./Linganore) doubled down the left field line, giving Smith runners on first and second with no outs. Edie Richardson (Franklin, Mass./Fontbonne Academy) followed with a RBI-single to left that scored Giordano, and Brown later scored on a double-steal attempt to draw Smith to within one, 3-2.

After starting pitcher Gina Martucci (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Township) worked a scoreless, 12-pitch fifth, Kristina Gaffny (Reading, Mass./Austin Prep)'s infield single with one out in the bottom of the frame brought the go-ahead run to the plate. After Babson recorded the second out of the inning, Giordano reached on a bunt single that gave Smith runners at the corner with two outs. The Pioneers tried again to catch the Beavers' defense napping with a double steal that Babson snuffed out, ending the threat in the fifth.

The Beavers turned the game over to their ace, Meghan Hayes, who allowed just two base runners in her two and a third innings pitched in game one, earning her first save of the season in relief of Babson's starting pitching, Ali Reilly.

Martucci suffered the hard-luck loss, throwing all seven innings and allowing five hits and no earned runs while striking out seven.

Giordano led the Pioneers at the plate in game one, going 2-for-4 with a run scored while Brown, Richardson, Caroline Kushner (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) and Gaffny each recorded a hit.

The second game of the day again saw the Beavers jump out to an early one run lead in the first, adding to that lead with a two-spot in the third and an insurance run in the sixth for the 4-0 win.

Much like in the first game, Babson took advantage of a Smith error, as the Beavers' leadoff hitter reached on an infield error. After the Pioneers walked the bases loaded on consecutive full-count "ball" calls from the home plate ump, an RBI-single into right field staked Babson to an early, 1-0 lead.

Smith once again had the tough task of figuring out Hayes, who returned to the circle after quieting the Pioneers' bats at the end of game one.

Smith appeared as though they were going to break the game open in the bottom of the third, as Ruth Zimmerman (Edison, N.J./John P. Stevens) led off the frame with a single into left. Gaffny followed with a seeing-eye single up the middle, and both runners advanced on Brittney Blokker (Seattle, Wash./Ballard)'s ensuing sac bunt. After Giordano drew a four-pitch walk, Brown hit a chopper to Babson's second baseman, who fired home for the force out. The Beavers' catcher than fired to first, catching the umpire in the field out of position, resulting in Brown being called out and swinging momentum in Babson's favor.

Martucci suffered the loss despite allowing just one earned run on four hits while striking out five. Natalie Burchat (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) came on in relief of Martucci and allowed just one earned over the next three innings while striking out two.

Reilly earned the win in the circle for Babson, throwing a 90-pitch, complete-game shutout for her fifth win of the season.

Rowan Turner (Prairie Village, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) notched her second multi-hit game of her young collegiate career, going 2-for-3, while Richardson, Zimmerman and Gaffny each recorded a hit in game two.

The Pioneers (4-4, 0-2 NEWMAC) will play two at Hancock Park tomorrow, taking on Hope College at 5 p.m. before tangling with Bowdoin College at 7 p.m.