NEW LONDON, CT -
Juno Shantz (Seattle, Wash./Garfield) hit her 11th homerun of the year as Smith College swept Coast Guard in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) softball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
The Pioneers won the opener 4-1 and held on for a 4-3 decision in game two. Smith ends the regular season at 22-15-1and 12-8 in conference place, while Coast Guard slips to 13-21 overall and 11-9 in the NEWMAC.
Game 1 - Smith 4 Coast Guard 1
- Shantz put Smith ahead in the first with the 17th homerun of her career
- Molly Taketa (Redmond, Wash./Woodinville) doubled the lead with a homerun of her own in the fifth
- The Pioneers tacked on two more runs in the fifth on RBI singles from CeCe Alaniz (Bakersfield, CA/East Bakersfield) and Piper Corey (Phoenix, AZ/Horizon Honors)
- Emilie Doty (Arlington, VA/Washington-Liberty) (12-7) earned the win, allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts
- Alaniz finished 3-for-4, while Taz Tamai (Cincinatti, OH/The Seven Hills School) and Bailey Gray (Missouri City, TX/Ridge Point) each collected two hits
Game 2 - Smith 3 Coast Guard 3
- Lucy Helms (Alameda, CA/Alameda) went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs while also earning the win. She allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts
- The Bears scored on an error in the third before Helms touched home plate on a wild pitch to tie the game in the fifth
- An error by the pitcher allowed the Pioneers to take the lead in the fifth and Helms hit the ball over the fence in the seventh, scoring two runs
- Coast Guard plated two runs in the seventh but Helms struckout the final batter for the win
Up Next
Smith, which earned the fifth seed in next week's NEWMAC Tournament, will face fourth-seeded Babson on Wednesday in Springfield, Mass., while seventh-seeded Coast Guard travels to sixth-seeded WPI in a play-in game on Monday.
About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
