WATERVILLE, Maine --- Alex Essman (Littlton, Mass.) led the offense with three hits and Brittany Tasi (Shelton, Conn.) earned her sixth victory of the season for the Colby College softball team in an 8-2 victory over Husson College on Thursday at Crafts Field.

The Mules are 16-8 overall and will play at Bowdoin College on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Husson had its 14-game winning streak snapped in falling to 17-12.

Colby went to work right away with a lone run in the first inning when Tory Starr (Dunbarton, N.H.) drove in Allyson Cheever (Augusta, Maine) with an RBI double.

Cheever's bases loaded walk brought in Barbara Santos (Topsfield, Mass.) with another run in the second inning for the Mules.

Colby put the game away with five runs in the third inning for a 7-0 lead. Meryl Poulin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) and Christine Gillespie (North Andover, Mass.) both had RBI singles and Annie Wilson (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) had an RBI walk. The other two runs came in on a Husson error.

The Eagles got their two runs in the fifth on big hits. Jamie Milton (Howland, Maine), appearing in a pinch-hit role, led off with a home run. After a single by Diann Ramsey (Otisfield, Maine), Brianna Webster had an RBI triple.

Carlie Minichino (Stratford, Conn.) had an RBI single in the sixth inning to close out the scoring. Alyssa Lepore (Victor, N.Y.) led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Kelly Roth (South Deerfield, Mass.), who scored the final run.

Tasi struck out two and allowed five hits before taken out of the game in the fifth inning. Alyssa Crowell (Gilford, N.H.) went the rest of the way for Colby.

Essman finished with three singles and one run scored.

Ramsey went 2-for-2 and had one run for Husson.