CLERMONT, Fla. – The Macalester College softball team played a pair of games on Day 3 of THE Spring Games on Tuesday at the Hancock Softball Complex, losing to New England College and Bowdoin. The Scots are now 6-6 overall and 2-4 on their Spring Break trip.

Against New England College, first year Kara Jensen (Elmhurst, Ill./York) blasted a solo home run in the top of the third inning for a 1-0 lead. The Pilgrims answered with two runs in the bottom of the third before senior Regan Brodine (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) doubled home senior Jessica Katzin (Chicago, Ill./Jones College Prep) in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. After NEC scored a run in the bottom of the fourth, the Scots broke through in the fifth with five runs. Four straight one-out singles, including a single by senior Emily Bergin (Houston, Texas/St. Thomas Episcopal School) that plated sophomore Renee Nicholson (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South), tied the score at 3-3. Junior Emily Pedersen (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) drew a bases-loaded walk to give Macalester the lead, then Katzin singled home junior Mandy Morrical (Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon) for a 5-3 lead. Grounders by junior Elsa Church (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) and Brodine brought home Bergin and first year Fiona Candland (San Francisco, Calif./Lowell) to make the score 7-3 Scots.

The Pilgrims scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a one-run game, then put a runner on second base with two out. The next batter reached on an error that allowed the tying run to score, then a walk put runners on first and second. A single by Ariana Cray drove in the winning run for NEC. Bergin and Katzin each had two hits for the Scots.

In the day's second game, Angelina Mayers hit a solo home run in the first inning to give Bowdoin the early lead. Macalester responded in the second inning, with Katzin scoring on an error and Nicholson executing a squeeze bunt that allowed Church to score for a 2-1 lead. Bowdoin answered with a run in the fourth, then five runs in the fifth to take a 7-2 advantage. In the bottom of the fifth, Morrical doubled and later scored on a single by Pedersen to cut the deficit to 7-3. But the Scots wouldn't get any closer despite putting runners at second and third later in the fifth, loading the bases in the sixth and putting a runner in scoring position in the seventh.

Macalester returns to action on Thursday, Mar. 16 with games against Mount Saint Mary and Carthage at the Hancock Softball Complex.