With the season virtually over save for a make-up game against Emerson College, the softball team has completed one of its primary pre-season goals: For just the third time in the program's history, the Judges have won 20 games in a season. After winning their home finale against Salve Regina University 6-2 Wednesday, the Judges capped off an up-and-down season with a 9-2 run to sit at 20-23 with a game left.

The Judges last hit the 20-win plateau in 1999 when the team won 29 games, and before that in 1995 with 20 wins.

"When we listed our goals on the first day of practice, [winning 20 games] was one of them," said captain Mari Levine '06, who is also a senior writer for the Justice. "It was a great way to end the season, and now we can reach even higher next season."

Pitchers Bri Smith '06 and Kaitlin Streilen '08 combined for a four-hit, two-run day. Smith, a captain, soared in her final home game by pitching a perfect first inning before handing the rest of the duties over to Streilen.

Levine also went out in style, recording just her third career homerun in the second inning. Right fielder Natalie Volpe '08 had the team's other homer earlier in the same inning.

"Before the game we were having some cake to celebrate the seniors, and we were joking around that all the seniors should get up there and hit homeruns," Volpe said. "Then I hit a home run and [Levine] hit one and we were all so happy for her."

The Judges began their season-salvaging run against Curry College April 20 with a 5-4 win by Volpe, who also catapulted the offense with two RBI and three hits.

The team desperately needed the win to snap a five-game losing streak that dated back to April 11. Its record was 13-21 at that point, and with just 12 games left and heading toward some of the toughest match-ups of the season, making the goal of 20 wins seem unreachable.

Levine highlighted the importance of that first win over Curry College.

"All it took was one win to snap it and then we were on a roll," Levine said. "We just knew that once things started to go our way, then we would be good."

Volpe agreed, and added that the team was actually helped by the increased competition that they found during their run.

"When we play tough teams, we play up to their level and when we play bad teams we play down to their level," she said. "When we play tough teams we have high intensity; they bring out the best in us."

The Judges followed up the win against Curry with a doubleheader sweep of Bowdoin College. Following a 7-2 slugfest by the Judges in the first contest, pitcher Kaitlin Streilein '08 single-handedly carried the team to a 4-1 victory in the afternoon with a complete game from the mound and a two-RBI, three-hit game at the plate.

The team went on to split the rest of its road trip, dropping two to powerhouse Colby College and defeating Bates College 5-2 before topping St. Joseph's College 3-2.

Levine said that the team's road trip to Maine was the defining moment of the Judges' season.

"When we went to Maine, I think we kind of surprised ourselves at how well we did," she said. "The way we were playing, we should have had four wins and maybe gone undefeated on the weekend. Beating Bates again after splitting with them earlier.was a huge step up for us."

The Judges play their last game of the season at home on Thursday against Emerson at 10 a.m.