BANGOR, Maine — The Husson University softball team closed out its 2023 regular season on Sunday beating Bates College 8-0 in game one, before game two was called as a 5-5 draw due to rain. 
 
Husson (27-12-1) and Bates (14-13-1) squared off in a non-conference in-state showdown on Sunday with the Eagles scoring a run in the first inning to take a 1-0 edge before junior Olivia McCarty drove in senior McKenna Smith for a 2-0 lead in the third. 
 
Sophomore Bulla McCabe connected on an RBI single in the third to increase the lead to 3-0 before Husson tallied five runs in the sixth inning to earned an 8-0 decision. 
 
Junior Kenzie Dore doubled to right field to drive in the Eagles first run, before junior Julia Gregoire plated Dore on an RBI infield single. 
 
Senior Teagan Blackie single to drive in Husson's sixth run and fellow senior Katie Raymond ripped a two-RBI single to seal the victory. 
 
Offensively, Raymond, sophomore Tori Exel and Blackie all recorded two hit performances while Smith tossed six scoreless innings in the circle allowing just two hits and striking out five batters. 
 
In the second game of Sunday's doubleheader, the Eagles struck for three runs in the first inning scoring their first run on an RBI single by McCabe before Dore connected on a two-run homerun to right center for a 3-0 advantage. 
 
Bates got on the board with two runs in the third inning to pull within 3-2 of the Eagles, but Dore doubled to left center tallying her third RBI of the game for a 4-2 edge. 
 
However, the Bobcats tied the game on a two-RBI single in the top of the seventh inning and managed to take a 5-4 advantage to the bottom half of the inning. 
 
Freshman Lydia Rice answered the Bobcats rally with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to tie the game 5-5 and force extra innings before rain forced the game to end in a draw. 
 
Husson will now look to defend its North Atlantic Conference title this coming weekend on the road in Utica, New York in the NAC championship.