Softball wraps regular season with 6-3 win at Babson

Anya Kamber '15 (Photo by Laura Moss)
Anya Kamber '15 (Photo by Laura Moss)

BABSON PARK, Mass. (courtesy Babson sports information)Junior Anya Kamber (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline) went 3-for-3 with a run scored and was one six players to drive in a run as visiting Brandeis University defeated Babson College, 6-3, in non-conference softball action at chilly Alumni Field on Tuesday afternoon.

With its sixth consecutive victory, Brandeis ends the regular season at 21-17. The Judges will hear about an ECAC tournament berth on Monday. Babson, which dropped its final five games, see its season come to a close at 17-21.

Sophomore Madison Gagnon (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake) had two of the Judges' 11 hits and drove in a run in the win. Senior Melissa Nolan (Windsor, Conn./Loomis Chaffee), went the distance for the second time in three days to earn her eighth win of the year. She She allowed six hits and three runs (one earned), striking out seven and walking two. Nolan also chipped in with a single and an RBI.

Babson first-year Abbey Schulz (Red Bank, N.J.) homered and sophomore Madison Dinaso (Ardsley, N.Y.) had a hit and scored once to lead the Beavers. Senior Kathleen Conway (Simsbury, Conn.) also scored while classmates Ashley Hamilton (Northfield, N.J.) and Kelly King (Kennebunk, Maine) both contributed one hit on the day.

Brandeis jumped on top with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning as Kamber led off with a single to center and sophomores Madison Sullivan (Dover, N.H./Dover) and Danielle Novotny (Milford, N.J./Delaware Valley) followed with RBI doubles to the left centerfield gap for a 2-0 lead. Kamber plated Gagnon with a two-out single to right to make it 3-0 in the top of the third, but the Green and White responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Dinaso led off with a single, Conway walked and both advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch before scoring when King reached on a fielding error to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Judges extended their lead an inning later though, as Gagnon drove in Novotny, who drew a one-out walk, with an RBI single to center to regain a two-run edge. Two batters later, first-year shortstop Liana Moss (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura) smacked a two-out single through the right side to bring in Gagnon for a 5-2 lead. Brandeis tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh on Nolan's RBI single before Schulz smacked the first home run of her career to left with two outs in the bottom of the frame for the final margin.

Senior Tess Rubega (Norwich, Conn.) started for the Beavers, allowing two runs on three hits in two innings of work, while Conway worked two perfect innings in relief, striking out three.