Bates lead the Gannon softball team to a doubleheader sweep of rival Edinboro during its only action of the week. The junior hit .750 (3-for-4), compiling eight RBI and two runs scored during the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opener. She also collected a double, a grand slam and two walks, as the Lady Knightsimproved to 8-5 overall and 2-0 in divisional play. Bates went 2-for-2 during the Lady Knights’ 12-4 opening-game victory that ended in five innings due to the eight-run rule. She registered a career-best six RBIs with a double and grand slam. Among the Lady Knights’ 11 combined runs in the fourth and fifth innings, Bates accounted for five. Following a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third, she hit an RBI double to tie the game at four during the fourth inning. In the fifth, Bates crushed a grand slam over the left-center wall for a 10-4 Gannon lead. Her grand slam was the eighth home run of her career and second of the season. It was her first career grand slam at Gannon. In game two, Bates recorded her seventh and eighth RBIs of the day on a two-run single that gave the Lady Knights a 3-1 lead. She went 1-for-2 in the game with two RBIs and a walk.
