Late Rallies Doom Wellesley Softball; Blue Drop Two

CLERMONT, Fla. -- A pair of late rallies by Wellesley's opponents handed the Blue softball team two losses on the final day of the team's spring break trip to the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida. The Blue dropped a 1-0, 8-inning game to Union to open the day, and fell 10-5 to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the day's second game.

The results end Wellesley's spring trip with a 2-6 record. The Blue will open the NEWMAC season on Saturday, hosting a pair of games against Clark University.

In game one against Union, the Blue out-hit the Dutchwomen 6-5 and got a gem from sophomore Amber Braun in the circle, but it wasn't enough as Union pulled out a 1-0 run in extra innings. 

Wellesley loaded the bases with one out in the first inning, with singles from Carly Bresee, Maria LaBouyer, and Jayne Ellis. However, Union nabbed Wellesley's lead runner at the plate on the next at-bat and then got a strikeout to end the Blue threat.

The game stayed 0-0 after regulation, and the international tie-breaker was in effect for the eighth inning. Wellesley got its lead runner to third in the top of the eighth on a well-executed sacrifice from Bresee, but the Blue runner was stranded at third after a pop-out and a groundout. 

In the bottom of the eighth, Union was able to push a run across with a successful sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to center to end the game.

Braun took the hard-luck loss for the Blue, throwing seven and two-thirds, allowing one unearned run on five hits with four strikeouts. 

In game two, Wellesley grabbed an early lead, but couldn't hold on as Wisconsin-Whitewater put up six runs in the top of the seventh to grab the 10-5 win. 

The Blue jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three, with a run in the second and two in the third. In the second, a Bresee double scored Jaclyn Tsang and Jennifer Migliore, while in the third, RBI singles from Emilyrose Havrilla and Ashtyn Coleman pushed the lead to three. 

Whitewater closed the gap to 3-1 in the top of the fifth and then took a 4-3 lead with three runs in the top of the sixth. Wellesley responded with a Havrilla double that scored LaBouyer and a Migliore single that plated Havrilla to give the Blue a 5-4 lead.

Wisconsin-Whitewater put the game away in the top of the seventh, using four singles, two walks, and three Wellesley errors to put up six runs. The Blue got a baserunner in the bottom of the seventh, an Ashtyn Coleman single, but the rest of the offense stalled, giving Whitewater the victory.

Four Wellesley players recorded multiple hit games, led by Migliore who went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Bresee, LaBouyer, Havrilla, and Coleman all had two hits, while Ellis added two RBI. 

Lindsay Johnson threw six innings, allowing eight runs, but only four earned. She allowed 10 hits and four walks with a pair of strikeouts. Braun got in an inning of work, allowing two unearned runs on two hits with a walk.