After another week of play, the Colby softball team once again found itself with a mixed bag of results. Sweeping cross-town rival Thomas College in a doubleheader but losing to New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) team Trinity College in a three-game series, the Mules secured strong wins but also suffered tough losses.

In their first game against Thomas on Wednesday, April 7, the women relied on the solid pitching performance of first-year Lauren Becker, who threw a complete game. Earning a shutout and striking out nine batters, Becker allowed only three hits in the win over the Terriers. Scoring the sole run in the 1-0 match, junior Alyssa Lepore tripled and was sent home on a base hit by teammate Alex Essman '11.

Rounding out the doubleheader, the Mules found victory in another close match, defeating Thomas 5-4. Striking well for a total of 16 hits during the game, the Mules held their composure to successfully close out the match despite a surge by the Terriers in the fifth inning. Lepore stood out for her scoring ability, tallying three RBI on three hits. Other offensive leaders included junior Barbara Santos with four hits and Essman and Katie Graichen '12 with two each.

Praising her team, Head Coach Kristina Katori said, "Sweeping a doubleheader is always positive, and I am happy with the way we hit tonight. On the mound, in the field, and at the plate, everybody pitched in and everybody contributed." Unfortunately, theMules couldn't keep their momentum going after the wins against Thomas.

Struggling during their series against Trinity, the women fell to the Bantams once on Friday,April 9 and twice on Saturday,April 10. Seeming to be on a perpetual hot-streak, Lepore furthered her offensive domination in the first match against Trinity with three hits and four RBI. Pushing her batting average to .500 for the season, Lepore also boasted a three-run homer during the game. Adding to the attack were Allyson Cheever '11 with two hits, Essman with one hit and a walk and tri-captain Christine Gillespie '10 with two walks. Regardless of such strong potential, however, the Bantams' five runs in the fourth inning were too much for the Mules to overcome, and the game was lost by a score of 9-5.

The following day, the Mules once again faced off against the Bantams, finishing out their trip down to Hartford, Conn. with a double-header. Although Colby lost the first match by a score of 8- 0 and the second by a score of 4-2, there were still some bright spots on the day.Essman churned out hits for theMules, going three-for-three with a single, a double, and a homerun, and sophomore Jen Goldman scoredColby's other run on anRBI double. Cheever had two hits during the game and Santos knocked out a double of her own.

Up next for the Mules are matches against the University of Maine at Farmington, Bowdoin College and the University of Southern Maine. Looking to turn around their fortunes, the women areworking hard to tally somewins against their NESCAC rivals.