SPRINGFIELD, Mass.— Sophomore Hayden Reilly (Prosper, Tex.) had three hits with a double, two RBI and two runs scored as seventh-seeded US Coast Guard Academy defeated fourth-seeded Babson College, 5-2, in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) softball tournament elimination game Friday afternoon at Springfield College's Potter Field.
With the victory, Coast Guard will play another elimination game on Friday against either fifth-seeded Wellesley or third-seeded Springfield at 4 p.m. Babson sees its season come to a close with a 20-23 overall record.
Junior
Lexi Sealey (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) led the Beavers with two hits, including a double and an RBI, senior
Allie Cubberly (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) cracked a double and drove in a run, and junior
Devin McCall (Virginia Beach, Va.) and sophomore
Belle DiCampello (Pottstown, Pa.) each had singles. Junior
Katie Vlacich (Concord, N.H.) suffered the loss after pitching the first 3.2 innings, striking out two, and Sealey allowed just one hit and fanned one hitter over the last 3.1 scoreless innings.
First-year Zoey Lynn (Nokomis, Fla.) had two hits and an RBI for the Bears, and senior Dana Walker (Macon, Ga.) and sophomore Madeline Kibler (Effingham, Ill.) each had a hit and an RBI. Walker went the distance in the circle to record the win (14-10), allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out three.
The Green and White jumped on top 1-0 in the bottom of the first as junior
Emily Walsh (Flemington, N.J.) worked a seven-pitch walk to start the frame, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore
Maddy DeLong (Cranford, N.J.) and then scored on Sealey's single to left.
Coast Guard took advantage of three straight walks to tie the game in the top of the second and took a 2-1 lead on Lynn's two-out single to left in the third before breaking the game open with a three-run fourth. Reilly ripped a two-out two-run double to deep left before scoring on Walker's infield single one batter later to make it 5-1.
The Beavers got a run back in the bottom of the fifth as sophomore
Samantha Skivo (Conshohocken, Pa.) worked a one-out walked and moved to second on McCall's single before scoring on Cubberly's double down the left field line to cut the deficit to 5-2.
Babson put runners at the corners with no outs in the sixth inning when Sealy led off with a double to left and DiCapello reached on an infield single, but left them stranded when Walker induced three straight infield ground outs. Walker then retired the Beavers in order in the seventh to close out the game.
GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 34-42 all-time against Coast Guard in a series that dates back to 1991, including 6-9 in NEWMAC Tournament games including four straight shutout victories over the Bears from 2021-23.
• Sealey's 17 doubles this spring are third on Babson's single-season list and the most by any player except Catie Funk '13, who did it twice (2011 and 2013).
• DiCampello has reached base safely in 17 of her last 18 games, while Walsh has found her way on base in 13 of her last 15 outings.
• Babson lost for just the fifth time in 19 games this spring when scoring the first run of the game.
