Wellesley Softball Wins, Ties at Endicott

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Wellesley College softball team recorded an extra innings win and a seven-inning tie in a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader at Endicott College. The Blue took the opener 6-3 in nine innings, while game two went seven full before being halted due to darkness.

The Gulls, who sit atop the Commonwealth Coast Conference standings, are now 17-12-1 overall following the non-conference tilt. Wellesley, currently fourth in the NEWMAC, moves to 15-16-1 overall.

Endicott struck for a run off a Wellesley miscue in the bottom of the first, before the Blue came alive for two runs in the top of the third. Emilyrose Havrilla led off the inning with a double, while Lauren Goldfarb and Mariah Philips each collected RBI singles to put Wellesley up, 2-1. 

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Endicott scored twice on RBI singles by junior captain Byrne Katz and first-year Jess Linden to take the 3-2 lead.  Wellesley, however, tied the game in the top of the next inning on a Maria LaBouyer sacrifice fly to right that scored Havrilla.

After a scoreless sixth and seventh innings, the Gulls and Blue went to extra innings where the game remained tied 3-3 until a three-run top of the ninth by Wellesley decided the game.  A squeeze bunt by junior Kimberly Cabral proved to be the game-winning hit but an RBI single by Samantha Spiga and a sacrifice fly by Havrilla provided insurance runs for the visitors. 

Wellesley's Goldfarb hurled a complete-game victory, improving to 5-5 on the year.  She allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits and seven walks while striking out five in nine innings. 

The Gulls countered with junior Kayla Carignan  who pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with no walks and four punch outs.  first-year Cam Sprague came on in relief and went 4 2/3 innings and took the loss (3-5) despite a strong outing. 

Endicott's Katz as well as Wellesley's Goldfarb, Havrilla, and Mara Blesoff all finished with two hits. Katz, Nicole Devlin and Katelyn Soja all swiped a bag in the loss for the Gulls.

Both teams scored early and often in game two of the doubleheader with all six runs accumulated in the first and second innings.  Wellesley jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the top of the first off a Jayne Ellis RBI single to center but the Gulls quickly responded as Katz crushed a two-run homerun, her third of the season, to deep left center to put Endicott on top. 

Endicott first-year Amanda Campbell tacked on another run in the bottom of the first as her single to right center plated Krista Fales who had reached on a single right after Katz's homerun. 

The Blue came back in the top of the second with two runs to tie the game at three after first-year Abby Casey tripled down the right field line to score Spiga and Goldfarb singled to bring home Casey.

For the remainder of the game, however, both teams failed to score as the game would conclude after seven innings of play due to darkness. 

In the circle for Endicott, first-year Meg Donegan went seven strong, allowing three runs on nine hits, no walks and one strike out.  Wellesley's Goldfarb allowed all three Endicott runs but the combination of Lindsay Johnson and Sarah Schwartzmeyer held the Gulls hitless and scoreless over the final 4 2/3 innings.

Wellesley is back in action on Friday afternoon, hosting Wheaton in a key NEWMAC doubleheader beginning at 3:00pm. Endicott continues CCC play on Saturday against Roger Williams.