CLERMONT, Fla. – The Bowdoin College softball team continued its perfect start with a 5-4 win over Stockton and 8-0 victory against Smith on Thursday afternoon.
The Polar Bears improved to 4-0 on the young season. The Osprey are 4-3 and the Pioneers are 3-5.
Stockton went up 2-0 in the top of the second, but Bowdoin responded with tying runs in the third. Caroline Rice hit a two-run blast to right-center field to knot the game at 2-2.
The Osprey answered in the top of the following inning as Casey Schieda doubled to left and drove in one run.
Rice again tied the game, this time with a double to right in the fifth.
Bowdoin took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth. Maddie Rouhana sent a sacrifice fly to right and allowed Samantha Valdivia to score. Caroline Sablone scored on the play, capitalizing on a throwing error.
Stockton got one run back in their final inning at-bat, as Meg Murzello singled to center.
Samantha Roy started the game and pitched 5 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. Ruby Siltanen closed out the game in the circle to earn the win with one run allowed.
Bowdoin and Smith played three scoreless innings before the Polar Bears plated a run in the fourth. Rice flew out to center, allowing Sablone to score and put Bowdoin on the board.
The Polar Bears erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. Allison Rutz and Valdivia both scored on a wild pitch and passed ball. Karlye Pallotta smacked a two-run double to left and later came around to score on Kasey Cunningham’s bunt single. Rouhana added an RBI single to scoresheet and Rutz rounded out the day with a game-ending sacrifice fly to left.
Former Mt. Ararat High School standout Katelyn Cox and Pallotta both had a stolen base in the win. Rutz pitched all five innings and allowed nine hits and no runs with one strikeout.
The Polar Bears play their third consecutive day of doubleheaders with games against Hope and Gordan tonight.
Shibles honored
Bowdoin women’s head basketball coach Adrienne Shibles was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year, and senior guard Abby Kelly was named First Team WBCA All-American in awards announced at the national championship banquet Thursday evening at Roanoke College.
Shibles was named the 2019 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Polar Bears to just the second perfect regular season in school history and second “Final Four” appearance in a row.
Bowdoin was ranked No. 1 in the D3hoops.com and WBCA Division III polls for the majority of the season and, in January, Shibles became the winningest head coach in program history. The Polar Bears tied a school record for wins in 2018-19 and enter the national semifinals with a 30-1 mark. Shibles has posted an overall record of 253-64 at Bowdoin (.798).
Already named the 2018-19 NESCAC, D3hoops.com Northeast Region and NEWBA Coach of the Year, Shibles is the eighth Bowdoin coach to earn a National Coach of the Year award, joining Nicky Pearson (field hockey), Sidney Watson (men’s ice hockey), Terry Meagher (men’s ice hockey), John Cullen (women’s soccer), Michele Amidon (women’s ice hockey), Stefanie Pemper (women’s basketball) and Conor Smith (men’s tennis).
Kelly capped a sensational senior campaign to become Bowdoin’s sixth First Team WBCA All-American, joining Amy Harper (1985), Lora Trenkle (2004), Eileen Flaherty (2006, ’07), Shannon Brady (2015) and Kate Kerrigan (2018). The NESCAC and D3hoops.com Northeast Region Player of the Year, Kelly leads Bowdoin at 14.8 points per game, ranking in the top 10 in the NESCAC in points, 3-pointers, field goal percentage and steals.
She saw double-figures in 27 of 31 games and surpassed 1,000-point mark on Jan. 19 against Colby.
Entering the national semifinals, her 1,224 points rank seventh at Bowdoin and her 139 treys are fifth in program history.
Bowdoin will face St. Thomas in the NCAA semifinals today at 5 p.m.
Women’s rugby
Bowdoin had four players recognized in National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Tier II All-American honors on Wednesday.
Sara Nelson, Satya Kent and Sophia Karris were named First Team All-Americans, while Elizabeth D’Angelo was named as an Honorable Mention All-American.
Nelson, was a first year starter who excelled in all the key roles of a front row hooker: scrummaging, lineout throws, defense, effective ball carries, good hands and passing skills. She racked up an 88-percent tackle completion and averaged 12 tackles/game.
Kent, a senior and three-year back row starter, used her strength, skills and game knowledge from the No. 8 position and defensively at No. 7, the open-side flanker position. She posted a 93-percent tackle completion, averaging 21 tackles/game. She assisted on three tries and scored one.
Karris, a first year starter at fullback, was a potent finisher in the backline, adding evasive running, and creating turnovers at the breakdown as well as several try-saving tackles. She scored six tries and had a 75-percent tackle completion.
D’Angelo was a senior captain and No. 10 flyhalf who led the Polar Bears on attack and defense. She set the tone for a stingy Bowdoin defense all season that allowed the fewest points in the league (96) while scoring a league-leading 253. She racked up 55 points on three tries and 20 conversion kicks while posting a 95-percent tackle completion, averaging 13 tackles/game.
Bowdoin finished its fall campaign with a record of 4-3.
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