Wellesley Softball Splits with WPI

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley softball split a double-header with WPI on Saturday afternoon at Wellesley College. WPI took the opener 4-3, while the Blue snagged game two 5-3, courtesy of a Maria LaBouyer's walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. WPI now stands at 17-11 on the season, 6-4 in the NEWMAC. Wellesley is 9-13 overall, 4-4 in conference play.

WPI took a 1-0 lead in the first-inning of game one, with an RBI double from Erin Beauliau. The Engineers followed with three more runs in the third, when Lauren DiFelice's single drove in two and Ali LaRue plated one more with a single to left. 

Wellesley responded in the fifth inning, with an RBI double off the bat of Emilyrose Havrilla, cutting the lead to 4-1. The Blue added two more in the seventh, including a leadoff homer from Jayne Ellis, but the Engineers held on for the 4-3 win.

For WPI, LaRue tallied two hits in the opener, including what proved to be the game-winning RBI. Beaulieu, DiFelice, Katie Bumila, and Nicole McDonough added one hit each. Pitcher Christa Coscia went the distance for the Engineers, grabbing the victory while giving up seven hits. The win lifts Coscia to 6-2 on the season. 

Wellesley tallied seven hits in the loss, including doubles from Kimberly Cabral, Mara Blesoff, and Havrilla. Havrilla also notched an RBI single to lead the Blue at the plate. Sarah Schwartzmeyer took the loss, giving up four runs in three innings of work.

Game two was a pitchers' duel in the early frames, as Wellesley's Lindsay Johnson and WPI's Erin Flaherty battled through four scoreless innings. The Engineers erupted for three runs in the top of the fifth, with an RBI single from Bumila and a two-run double from McDonough, to take a 3-0 lead.

Wellesley answered with three of their own in the bottom of the fifth, when Havrilla tripled to the rightfield corner to drive in two. Abby Casey followed with a squeeze bunt to score Havrilla and tie the game at 3-3. The score remained knotted until the bottom of the seventh, when LaBouyer hammered a two-out, two-run homer to straight-away center for the win.

McDonough led the Engineers at the plate in game two, with one hit and two RBI. Amanda Pierce and Ciana Montesi added one hit and one run each. Erin Flaherty took the loss, dropping her record to 7-3.

For the Blue, Blesoff tallied two singles, while Cabral and Lauren Goldfarb each added a double. Havrilla and LaBouyer knocked in two runs a piece. Johnson pitched a solid outing for the Blue, grabbing the win as she scattered five hits over seven innings while fanning six. The win lifts Johnson to 4-3 for the season.

WPI returns on action on April 10, when they host a 3pm double-header against cross-town rival Worcester State. Wellesley will take the field on April 11 at 3pm, when they host Rhode Island College.