No. 24 Softball Outslugs No. 20 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Falls to No. 21 Central at NFCA Leadoff Classic

Photo, Recap Courtesy of Babson

TUCSON, Ariz.—The 24th-ranked Babson College softball team split a pair of games on day two of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic on Saturday evening. The Beavers slugged their way past 20th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 15-5, before dropping the nightcap to No. 21 Central College, 5-0.

Babson and Central are both 2-2 on the year, while Wisconsin-Oshkosh sits at 6-2 overall.

GAME ONE: Babson 15, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 5
Sophomore Jacqueline Paul (Burlington, N.J.) went 3-for-4 with a double and five runs batted in, junior Annie Quine (Santa Monica, Calif.) was 3-for-3 with a homer, four RBI and three runs scored, and classmate Ashley Tango (Reading, Mass.) added three hits and drove two runs as part of the Beavers' 18-hit onslaught. Senior Samantha Smith (Hillsborough, N.J.) and sophomores Victoria Casey (Emerson, N.J.) and Annie Mitchell (Rehoboth, Mass.) also added two hits apiece in the victory.

Quine staked the Green and White to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with her first homer of the season to right center. The Titans took advantage of a walk and an error to score three times in the bottom of the frame, but Babson responded with four more runs in the top of the second.

Casey and sophomore Josephine Mares (Houston, Texas) both singled, Quine walked, and Paul cleared the bases with a double following a pitching change by Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Tango then capped the inning with an RBI single to extend the margin to 7-3.

The Beavers scored two more runs in the third and then got a two-out, two-run single from Casey to make it 11-3 in the fourth inning. Paul drove in two more runs as part of a four-run seventh inning in support of senior Ali Reilly (New Canaan, Conn.), who allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out six in 6.0 innings of relief.

Titans' junior Bailey Smaney (Howard, Wis.) was chased from the circle after giving up six runs on six hits in just 1.1 innings.

GAME TWO: Central 5, Babson 0
Following five scoreless frames, the Dutch strung together four singles and took advantage of two errors to score five times in the top of the sixth inning. Senior Tabitha Taylor (Grimes, Iowa) plated the first runs of the game with a two-run knock, and sophomore Kaitlyn Andersen (Davenport, Iowa) followed with another RBI single two batters later to give Central a 3-0 advantage.

The Dutch tacked on two more insurance runs on a pair of two-out errors by the Beavers.

Tango went 2-for-3 for the Green and White, which was limited to just five hits in the game. Mares, Paul and first-year Jamie Hoffman (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) also recorded a single in the loss. Sophomore Brooke Stock (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) went the distance for Babson and dropped to 0-2 on the year after giving up three earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six.
Junior Mariah Fritz (Tama, Iowa) fanned two and walked none to improve to 1-1 for Central.

TOURNAMENT NOTES
• The Beavers are now 1-0 all-time against Wisconsin-Oshkosh and 0-2 against Central.
• Babson's 15 runs against the Titans are its most since scoring 20 in the opening game of a doubleheader against Eastern Connecticut State back on April 24, 2015.
• The shutout by Central marked the first time the Beavers were held off the scoreboard since a 2-0 loss to Springfield in last season's NEWMAC Tournament.
• Tango extended her hitting streak to seven with a pair of multi-hit games, while Reilly has now won 10 straight decisions going back to last year.