CLERMONT, Fla.

The Bowdoin College softball team opened the 2018 season with a pair of victories over Smith College and UMass-Boston on Wednesday afternoon.

The Polar Bears pinned a 3- 1 setback on the Pioneers ( 1- 7). Bowdoin finished off the Beacons (2-6) in five innings with a 10-2 win.

The Pioneers struck first in the bottom of the second inning off an RBI single to center with runners on second and third.

The two teams moved quickly up and down the lineup through the next few innings, with Bowdoin putting runners in scoring position but unable to convert.

Lauren O’Shea finally tied the game for the Polar Bears with a solo home run to center in the sixth.

Caroline Rice tagged a two- run blast over the right-field fence in the last inning to give Bowdoin the victory.

Samantha Roy pitched the first four innings and allowed a pair of hits with three strikeouts. Allison Rutz fanned four batters and allowed three hits in as many innings of work.

Kate Hoadley went the distance for Bowdoin in game two, pitching five innings and allowing four hits with a pair of strikeouts.

O’Shea tagged her second homer of the day in the bottom of the first, this time a two-run shot to left center. Jordan Gowdy singled through the left side, driving in Samantha Valdivia, in the bottom of the second. O’Shea recorded her third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right that drove in Ali Miller. Rice doubled to left center to round out the second inning scoring and give Bowdoin a 5- 0 lead after two.

The Polar Bears added three more in their next at-bat. Miller sent a single to center, O’Shea was hit by a bases- loaded pitch, and Rice hit a ball to left, all resulting in runs.

The Beacons got a pair of runs back in the fourth on a groundout and homer to left.

Rice hit a walk-off single to center in the bottom of the fifth to give Bowdoin mercy rule victory.

The Polar Bears improved to 4-0 on Thursday with wins over Framingham State ( 12- 7) and Endicott (8-3).

Bowdoin plays Mt. St. Joseph’s today.

Women’s tennis

At Palm Springs, California, Bowdoin dropped a tight 5-4 decision to Washington University- St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon.

The 13th- ranked Bears improved to 6- 3, while dropping the Polar Bears to 3-3.

Washington held a slight 2-1 edge after doubles play. The duo of Tess Trinka and Izzy Essi earned the point in an 8-2 decision at No. 1.

Trinka picked up a hard-fought victory at No. 1 singles 6-1, 7-6 (7-1). Essi also took a singles victory at No. 4 (7-6, 6-2).

Sasa Jovanovic earned the final point for Bowdoin in a three-setter (6-4, 2-6, 6-4).

Bowdoin returns to play against Trinity ( Texas) today at 1 p.m.

Baseball

The Keene State Owls used a seven- run sixth inning to defeat Bowdoin, 9- 6, on Thursday afternoon.

The Polar Bears fell to 1- 3 as Keene State climbed to 5-4.

Bowdoin provided all its offense in the first three innings, scoring a trio of runs in both the second and third frames. Joe Gentile and Nick Sadler both recorded RBI singles, and Connor Lee flew out to right, driving in Gentile from third.

Colby Joncas added to the Polar Bears’ lead with an RBI single in the third. Austin Zakow drove in both Joncas and Gentile with a triple before Keene recorded a final out.

It was all Owls for the remainder of the game. Keene State scored twice in the fourth before multiple hits in the sixth drove in runs. Three singles and two doubles, as well as a sacrifice fly, sank the Polar Bears.

Colby Lewis recorded the loss after surrendering 11 hits and nine runs with five strikeouts. Peter O’Connell closed out the inning with one strikeout and two hits.

Bowdoin plays a doubleheader today against William Paterson University, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Women’s lacrosse

Bowdoin scored 13 goals in the first half of a dominant 18-8 win over NESCAC foe Hamilton on Thursday evening in Florida.

The Polar Bears improved to 4-1 (2-1 NESCAC), while the Continentals fell to 1-4 (1- 2 NESCAC).

Bowdoin jumped to an 8-1 lead and never looked back, taking a 13-3 lead at intermission and cruising to the victory. Katherine Miller scored three times with an assist in the game-opening run for the Polar Bears.

Hamilton was within six goals, down 9-3, late in the opening half, but a 4-0 surge, keyed by a pair of Hannah Hirschfeld goals, made it 13- 3 at the break.

Bowdoin led by more than eight goals for the entire second period.

Miller had four goals and two assists for Bowdoin.

Bowdoin returns home on Sunday for a non-conference home game against Plymouth State at 1 p.m.

Men’s tennis

Bowdoin remained unbeaten with a 7-2 win over 12th-ranked Carnegie Mellon on Wednesday evening in California.

The fourth-ranked Polar Bears improved to 5-0 this spring.

The Polar Bears sprinted to a 3-0 lead in doubles play, taking an insurmountable advantage heading into singles play. Justin Patel/Gil Roddy and Kyle Wolfe/Jerry Jiang eased to 8-2 wins, and Grant Urken/Luke Tercek increased the Bowdoin lead with a 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles.

Needing just two singles wins, Bowdoin received straight-set victories from Roddy (6-4, 6-1), Patel (6-2, 6- 2) and Urken (7-5, 6-4). Jiang closed out the Polar Bear winners with a 4-6, 6-3, 11-9 comeback win.

Bowdoin returns to action today at Whitman.