THE BASICS 

Game 1 Score: Emerson 11, Bates 4

Game 2 Score: Emerson 6, Bates 3

Game 1 Pitching Decision: W | Calli Pratt (3-0) ; L | Maggie Hillwig (0-1)

Game 2 Pitching Decision: W | Jessica Gomez (4-1) ; L | Maggie Hillwig (0-2)

Location: Boston, Mass. (Rotch Field)

Date: March 17, 2022

The Lead: Senior Calli Pratt and freshman Jessica Gomez fanned a combined 22 batters to help the Emerson softball bring its winning streak back to Boston and picked up the sweep over Bates in their home opener on Thursday afternoon. Emerson snagged the 11-4 game one win and closed the twin-bill with a 6-3 victory over the Bobcats. 

GAME ONE: Emerson 11, Bates 4

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Makenzie Killough: 2-3, two runs scored & one stolen base
Ally Lacey: 2-3, two runs scored & two RBI
Claire Overton: 2-3, one run scored, double, triple & four RBI
Samantha Zannotti: 1-4 & two RBI
Pratt: 1-4, three runs scored & one RBI

PITCHING: Pratt (W, 3-0) - 7.0 innings pitched, seven hits, four runs, four walks & 11 strikeouts

BATES

Lindsey Kim: 3-3, RBI & two stolen bases
Kennedy Ishii: 1-3, one run scored
Cassidy Musco: 1-3, two RBI
Eliza McNulty: 1-3, one RBI

PITCHING: Danielle Polrier - 6.0 innings pitched, five hits, four runs, nine walks & four strikeout
Hillwig (L, 0-1) - four hits, seven runs & three walks

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Emerson struck in the home half of the first and turned a bases loaded walk into a 1-0 lead for the Lions. The Lions threatened for more, but popped up to short to wrap the inning. 
• Within a busy third and fourth frames, there were two ties and two lead changes exchanged between Emerson and Bates. At the end of the fourth, however, it was Emerson who sat on top, 11-4. 
• Bates had the bases juiced with two outs and were able to put the tying 1-1 run across when Kim batted an RBI single into left. 
• In the next at-bat, McNulty drew the go-ahead walk that gave the Bobcats the 2-1 edge. With runners on every base, Pratt retired Amanda Taylor on strikes to close the third.
• It was in the Lions' third where the bats began to knock around Polrier and batted in three runs to snag the 4-2 lead back. Lacey batted in the 2-all equalizer before Overton and Zannotti used a double and single to cross another pair of scores.
• In Bates' top of the fourth and runners on second and third with no outs, Musco sent an RBI single up the middle to bring in both Ishii and Emily Samar as the score was evened at 4-all. Pratt got the final three batters out in order on two grounders and a fly out. 
• Emerson's offensive batted around in the bottom of the fourth and turned a 4-all tie into a seven-run stanza and the 11-4 advantage. 
• Lacey laced an RBI single up the middle to bring in Pratt before Overton crossed two more runs with an RBI three-bagger to put the Emerson lead at 7-4. 
• Three more runs were plated with the bases filled with Lions to extend the hosts lead to 10-4. Emerson's final run of the game would come when Pratt reached on a fielder's choice to plate freshman Grace Beaulieu. 
• Pratt was lights out through the final three frames and fanned five batters and allowed just two hits to secure Emerson's 11-4 game one win. 

GAME TWO; Emerson 6, Bates 3

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Pratt: 3-4, two RBI
Sophia Cloonan: 2-2, double, one run scored & one RBI
Zannotti, Overton & Mackenzie Rice: one hit 

PITCHING: Gomez (W, 4-1) - 6.2 innings, three hits, three runs, three walks & 10 strikeouts 

BATES

Sarah Cooke: 1-3, one run scored
Rachel Liazos: 1-2, one run scored
Hillwig: 1-3, one run scored & two RBI
Katherine Merisotis: one RBI

PITCHING: Hillwig (L, 0-2) - 6.0 innings, eight hits, six runs, nine walks & three strikeouts 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Emerson jumped on the board first with a two-run second stanza to take the 2-0 lead over Bates. 
• After Zannotti drew a one-out bases loaded walk to cross the first Lions run, Cloonan sent in the second run when she sent an RBI sacrifice fly into right.
• Bates cut Emerson's lead down to one at 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Hillwig grounded out to the shortstop. Emerson got a key defensive play to wrap the frame when Liazos was doubled up at third. 
• Emerson spread four more runs through the fourth and fifth innings to take the five-run cushion at 6-1. 
• A wild pitch inched Emerson back up two at 3-1 before Overton raked an RBI single up the middle to bring in the fourth Lions' run to take the three-run lead. 
• In the home half of the fourth, Pratt rocketed a two-run RBI single into right to plate in Zannotti and Rice for the next pair of runs and claimed the 6-1 advantage.
• Bates battled in their final at-bats and tagged Gomez with two runs in the seventh inning. 
• Cooke came around the score on Hillwig's RBI single to cut Emerson's lead down to four. With Samar on second and one out, Merisotis drove a sacrifice fly to bring in Liazos to put the score at 6-3.
• Gomez settled and got the last pair of Bobcats' batters to go down swinging on strikes and sealed Emerson's 6-3 win. 

UP NEXT

• Emerson faces Wentworth on Sunday, March 20th for an afternoon doubleheader at 2 and 4 p.m.