Warner No-Hits Elms; MIT Tops Blue Softball on Day Two of NCAA Regionals

MEDFORD, Mass. – First year starting pitcher Julia Warner (Kenmore, Wa.) tossed a five inning no-hitter to help lift Wellesley College softball to a 10-0 victory over Elms College (20-14) at the NCAA Tournament Medford Regional on Saturday afternoon at Spicer Field. In Wellesley's second game, MIT earned a 4-0 victory, eliminating the Blue on the second day of the double elimination regional.

Wellesley  10, Elms 0 (5 inn.)

Warner struck out five and walked a pair of batters over five innings to improve to 10-6 while recording the thirteenth no-hitter, and the first in an NCAA Tournament game, in school history. The Wellesley offense scored two runs in the top of the third inning before putting the game out of reach with eight runs in the top of the fourth.

In the top of the third, Jaclyn Tsang (Manalapan, N.J.) opened the inning with a leadoff single, advancing to second on a stolen base. A pair of Wellesley outs helped moved Tsang to third before the junior finished her trip around the bases by scoring the game's first run on a wild pitch. With Tsang safely home, sophomore Anna Pisac (Snohomish, Wa.) tagged a base hit into centerfield. Pisac then scored on an RBI triple to right centerfield from senior Emilyrose Havrilla (Caldwell, N.J.).

With Havrilla on third, senior Mariah Philips (Palo Alto, Calif.) walked to give the Blue two-on with two-out. However, Elms escaped the inning when senior Abby Casey's (Milford, Conn.) line drive toward second base was corralled for the final out of the inning.  

Wellesley ran its advantage to 10-0 in the top of the fourth, scoring eight runs on eight hits. First year Amanda Manning reached on an infield single to open the inning, starting a string of five-straight hits for the Blue. After reaching, Manning swiped second base before making her way home on an RBI double from junior Carly Bresee (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.). Bresee and Tsang both scored just one batter later on a two-RBI single from senior Maria LaBouyer (Yuba City, Calif.).

LaBouyer didn't spend long on the base paths, coming around to score when the next batter, Ashtyn Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.), slapped an RBI single into right field. Pisac then walked before Havrilla picked up her second RBI with a base hit to score Coleman. The Blue would go on to add three more runs in the inning, as Casey and added an RBI on a bunt single and first year Amanda Manning (Durham, Calif.) drove home Havrilla on an RBI groundout.

Warner did the rest, retiring the side in order in the fourth before getting some help from Havrilla in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, the senior shortstop helped preserve the no-hitter with a great play to get the out at first on a ball up the middle that Warner had initially knocked down. Havrilla also recorded the game's final out on a ground ball to short.

MIT 4, Wellesley 0

Tufts (43-0) earned a 3-1 victory over MIT (29-9) in the opening game to set up a NEWMAC clash between Wellesley and the Engineers in Saturday's final game.  

The teams played five scoreless innings before MIT broke the deadlock with four runs in the top of the sixth. The four run inning would turn out to be the difference as the Engineers advanced to the Regional Championship Round on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 PM vs. Tufts.

Wellesley starter Madeline Bianchi (Lakeville, Minn.) worked out of early trouble, stranding a pair of MIT base-runners in scoring position in the top of the first before holding MIT to just two hits over the next four innings. Bianchi (13-10) pitched 5.1 innings, yielding eight hits and three runs while striking out three for Wellesley. Warner came on to pitch the final 1.2 innings in game two.

MIT senior Ellie Fodor (Trenton, Mich.) surrendered a pair of hits in the first inning before giving way to junior Alexandra Marshall (Glen Head, N.Y.). Marshall was spectacular over six innings of work, surrendering one hit and one walk while striking out six to improve to 13-4 on the season.

Both teams looked destined to get on the board in the fifth inning, however, diving defensive plays from both sides kept the score at 0-0. With MIT threatening in the top half of the inning, Casey made a diving catch in centerfield to help Bianchi escape a two-on, two-out jam. In the bottom half the inning, MIT first baseman Zoe Hinton (Aurora, Colo.) returned the favor, making a diving catch on a bunt in foul territory with Havrilla standing on second with just one out. A fly out to centerfield just one batter later stranded Havrilla at second.

MIT finally broke through in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with on three singles from Amanda Lee (Saratoga, Calif.) and Tori Jensen (Holliston, Mass.) and Karly McLaughlin (Edwardsville, Ill.). With one away, Hinton delivered a two-RBI single to left centerfield to plate the first runs of the contest.

Trailing for the first time on the day, Warner entered the game for Bianchi but it did little to slow the Engineer's momentum, as Katherine Shade (Glencoe, Ill.) and Monica Shifflet (Poway, Calif.) both singled to drive in runs and give MIT the 4-0 lead.

Marshall then set down the Blue in order in the sixth and seventh innings, as the junior retired 12 of the final 13 batters she faced in the contest, to help MIT advance to tomorrow's championship round.

NEWMAC champion Wellesley College ends the season with an overall record of 23-16 after making the school's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. Wellesley is now 9-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.