Blue Softball Earns Sweep of Coast Guard

WELLESLEY, Mass. — Wellesley College softball swept a doubleheader against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday evening at the Wellesley Outdoor Fields Complex.  The Blue scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning of game one to earn a 6-3 victory over the Bears.  Wellesley earned the sweep with an 8-4 comeback victory in the nightcap of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader.  

Wellesley moves to 16-12 overall and 9-8 in NEWMAC games. The Bears cap the 2014-15 regular season with 14-18 overall record and 5-13 mark in conference contests. 

Game One: Wellesley 6, Coast Guard 3

First year Madeline Bianchi (Lakeville, Minn) earned her tenth victory (10-6) of the season in game one, pitching a complete game and striking out three while surrendering only six hits. 

Sophomore Sara Cammuso (Millbury, Mass.) got the visitors on the board first in the contest, drawing a bases loaded walk in the second.  The Bears would add two more in the inning, including an RBI base hit from junior Morgan Kings (Satelite Beach, Fla.),  to jump out to a 3-0 lead. 

Wellesley got one run back in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Abby Casey (Milford, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to open the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jaclyn Tsang (Manalapan, N.J.).  A single by senior Maria LaBouyer (Yuba City, Calif.) then brought home the first run for the Blue.

Sophomore Anna Pisac (Snohomish, Wa.) got Wellesley's fifth inning started with a leadoff double and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Tsang.  A pair of two-RBI doubles by LaBouyer and senior Emilyrose Havrilla (Caldwell, N.J.) gave the Blue the lead and provided a cushion for Bianchi who retired six of the final seven hitters she faced.

Game Two: Wellesley 8, Coast Guard 4

Kings got the scoring started early for Coast Guard in game two with an RBI single in the first inning.  Kings later came in to score on a Wellesley error.  

The Blue battled back in the bottom half of the first, with LaBouyer singling in sophomore Ashtyn Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) to cut the deficit to 2-1. 

The Bears added two runs in the top of the third by tallying three hits off Wellesley starter  Julia Warner (Kenmore, Wa.), including an RBI double from first year Emma Hvozdovich (Palm Harbor, Fla.), to make the score 4-1.  

It would take the Blue their second five-run fifth inning of the afternoon to secure the victory in game two, as Wellesley took the lead thanks to four hits and a Coast guard error. A bunt single from Tsang opened the frame before Wellesley loaded the bases on a single from LaBouyer and an error. Havrilla then walked to bring home the first run before Pisac laced a double in to right centefield to clear the bases. Pisac then scored on an RBI single from senior Mariah Philips (Palo Alto, Calif.) to give the Blue a 6-4 lead. 

Wellesley tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth inning, as LaBouyer lifted an RBI sacrifice to right to score Tsang and Philips registered another RBI base hit to increase the Blue advantage to 8-4. 

Warner then set down Coast Guard in the top of the seventh to improve to 6-6 on the season.

Wellesley continues NEWMAC play on Friday afternoon at 5:00 PM when they host Wheaton for the conclusion of a contest halted on April 10. The game will resume with the score tied 6-6 in the top of the tenth inning.