IMMACULATA, Pa. - A dominant performance in the circle from junior Melissa O'Connor and a big day at the plate from senior Kate Smayda gave the Swarthmore College softball team (19-17) a 1-0 win in its first game at Immaculata on Tuesday evening. The Garnet dropped the second game of the doubleheader by a score of 7-4.

O'Connor went the distance in the first game, allowing just three hits and striking out six in a complete-game shutout. At the plate, Smayda recorded three hits in the first game and scored the lone run of the contest in the first inning following an RBI from junior Rose Pitkin. Smayda finished the doubleheader with four hits, putting her six shy of the program record.

In the second game, senior Danielle Seltzer led the Garnet with two doubles. Senior Samantha Bennett and freshman Clara Obstfeld also finished with multiple hits. Pitkin, Bennett, sophomore Laurie Sellars and senior Erin Curtis all drove in runs for Swarthmore.

In the first game, a first-inning run was all the support O'Connor needed in the Garnet's win. Smayda led the game off with double down the right line to put an early runner in scoring position. Two batters later, a single from freshman Suness Jones pushed Smayda to third base. After a Mighty Mac error loaded the bases, Pitkin hit into a fielder's choice to send Smayda home and put Swat ahead 1-0.

From there, it was all O'Connor. She scattered three singles over seven innings - allowing just one runner to get into scoring position - to close out Swarthmore's victory.

In the second game, Swarthmore fell behind early and could not recover despite a valiant comeback. The Mighty Macs (20-16) scored six runs in the first two innings off of Swarthmore starter Sarina Lowe to build a 6-2 lead. The Garnet clawed back into the game, scoring runs in both the third and fourth innings to cut the lead to 6-4.

Unfortunantly, that would be as close as Swat would get. Immaculata added an insurance run off a home run from Melissa Ejk in the bottom of the sixth inning and held Swarthmore to just one hit over the game's final three innings to earn the win. 

Swarthmore closes out the regular season on Saturday at Ursinus.