MIT Defeats Blue Softball 6-5 in NEWMAC Tournament Elimination Game

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Second-seeded MIT walked off with a 6-5 victory in eight innings over fifth-seeded Wellesley College softball in Game Nine of the 2016 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Championship on Saturday at WPI's Rooftop Field.

With the victory, MIT improves to 27-10 overall and advances to the tournament's championship round to face top-seeded WPI. MIT needs two victories to secure the NEWMAC title, while host WPI needs one victory over MIT.  Defending champion Wellesley ends the season with an 18-18 overall record.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, MIT's Jasmin Joseph (Woodland Hills, Calif.) ripped a double into left center. The sophomore then advanced to third on a wild pitch, before scoring the game-winning run on a throwing error.

Joseph finished the contest with three hits and a run scored. Senior Tori Jensen (Holliston, Mass.) matched Joseph with a game-high three hits. Jensen also recorded one RBI for the Engineers. Junior Ali Trueworthy (Rochester, N.H.) had a game-high four RBI, driving home three of the four when she hit her second homer of the year in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore Katherine Shade (Glencoe, Ill.), first year Kim Veldee (Kirkland, Wash.) and junior Monica Shifflet (Poway, Calif.) also added hits for MIT. In the circle, starter Alexandra Marshall (Glen Head, N.Y.) pitched all eight innings, surrendering five runs, three earned, and striking out four to improve to 19-8 on the season.

For Wellesley, senior Carly Bresee (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) tied for game-high honors with three hits. Bresee added a run scored and an RBI for the Blue. Senior Jaclyn Tsang (Manalapan, N.J.) and juniors Ashtyn Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Anna Pisac (Snohomish, Wash.) each had two hits, with Ashtyn Coleman recording a pair of doubles and Pisac a pair of RBIs. Junior Kendra Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) also had a hit for the Blue. Sophomore Madeline Bianchi (Lakeville, Minn.) pitched 7.1 innings, ending the season at 12-10 overall.

The Blue opened the scoring in the top of the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead when Tsang singled to left center to score Kendra Coleman. The Engineers answered in the bottom half of the inning when Trueworthy lifted a sacrifice fly to score junior Helen Rosenthal (Bethesda, Md.). MIT then  took the lead, 2-1, in the next inning thanks to an RBI single from Jensen.

Wellesley jumped back out in front in the fifth inning, scoring two runs on two hits and an error to take a 3-2 lead. Bresee opened the inning with a single before sophomore Amanda Manning (Durham, Calif.) reached on an error. Both players came around to score three batters later when Pisac singled to right center. However, the Blue failed to do further damage in the inning, leaving a pair of runners stranded as the game moved to the bottom of the fifth.

MIT took advantage in the home half of the inning. With one away in the frame, Shade and Veldee hit back-to-back singles. Trueworthy then hit a three-run shot to straight-away center to make the score 5-3 MIT.

The Blue got one run back in the top of the sixth, making the score 5-4 thanks to their seniors. Tsang lifted a one-out single to left center that was followed by a double to left center by Bresee. Bianchi then worked around a two-out base hit in the bottom of the inning to send the game into the seventh with MIT continuing to lead 5-4.

It didn't take long for the Blue to tie the score in the seventh, as Ashtyn Coleman hit a lead-off double before making her way to the plate on the next batter when Pisac reached base thanks to an error. However, Marshall silenced the Blue rally after the opening run of the inning, sending the game into the bottom of the seventh tied at 5-5.

MIT went in order in the bottom of the seventh inning, before Wellesley went 1-2-3 in the top of the eight, setting the stage for the Engineers to win the game in the bottom of eighth.

Today's contest concludes the 2016 season for Wellesley softball.