Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla.-The New England College softball team dropped a pair of games at the PFX Spring Games in Clermont, Florida on Thursday. The team was edged 5-4 to Bates College to start the day and then fell to the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg 14-6 in six innings.

The Pilgrims now sit at 2-8 in Florida play.

BATES 5, NEC 4
The Pilgrims used a monster four-run third inning to take an early lead, but Bates scored one run in the top of the fourth and three in the top of the fifth to tie the score at 4-4, setting up a decisive seventh inning. Bates manufactured the go-ahead run by stringing together three singles, a walk and an RBI ground-out. The Pilgrims put the tying run on in the bottom of the inning, but the inning ended on a double play.

Freshman Destiny Helmedach (Middlefield, Conn.) hit her first collegiate home run as part of a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. Her other hit was a double-Helmedach finished with three RBI on the day. Rachel Kerrigan (Hyde Park, Mass.) and Yesenia Dominguez (Symlar, Calif.) also had hits for the Pilgrims.

Gabriella Marcheschi (St. James, N.Y.) pitched a complete-game, scattering 12 hits, five earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts over the seven innings.

Jevan Sandhu earned the win in relief for Bates, giving up no hits and three walks in the final three innings of the game.

UPG 14, NEC 6 Six Innings
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg defeated NEC, 14-6, in six innings. More details to come.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Pilgrims will take an off day tomorrow before playing their final four games at the PFX Spring Games on Saturday and Sunday. NEC will face the University of Scranton and the United States Coast Guard Academy on Saturday.