Strong Pitching Leads Blue Softball to Two Wins Over Babson

WELLESLEY, Mass. - Backed by superb pitching from sophomore Lauren Young (Fresno, Calif.) and senior Marisa Sgambati (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Wellesley College softball won both halves of their New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader over Babson on Friday afternoon.

Sgambati and Young each tossed a complete game for the Blue (8-17-1 Overall, 4-6 NEWMAC), with Sgambati not allowing a single run to score. Junior Moira O'Reilly (Columbus, Ohio) tossed six innings both games for the Beavers (17-16 Overall, 6-6 NEWMAC) with 10 strikeouts on the day.

Game 1 | Wellesley 3, Babson 2 | Final

Backed by a sharp pitching performance from Young, Wellesley won a 3-2 game over Babson. Young struck out a pair in the circle for the Blue while only allowing three hits across seven innings.

First year Chiara Lundin (Piedmont, Calif.) gave Wellesley an early 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single scoring senior Ingrid Hsu (San Ramon, Calif.). 

The Blue doubled their lead in the bottom of the second when first year Maggie Abernethy (Phoenix, Ariz.) slapped a hit down the right field.

Babson chipped into Wellesley's lead in the top of the third with an RBI single up the middle from sophomore Sara Moore (Kennett Square, Pa.) making the game 2-1 in Wellesley's favor. 

A throwing error in the fourth allowed Young to advance home for the Blue, giving the team a 3-1 lead. The Beavers scored their own run courtesy of a throwing error in the sixth.

With Wellesley up 3-2 in the top of the seventh, Young threw a clean 1-2-3 inning to earn the complete game win for the Blue.

O'Reilly allowed six hits and three runs over six innings while striking out five batters.

Game 2 | Wellesley 2, Babson 0 | Final

Sgambati shut down Babson's bats, only allowing seven total baserunners in a complete game shutout.

The Blue supplied early offense in the bottom of the second. Junior Julz Vargas (Los Angeles, Calif.) drove in a run on a sacrifice fly before sophomore Charis Chung (San Gabriel, Calif.) ripped a triple to right center field, scoring Sgambati from first. 

While Babson got runners to third base in both the fourth and sixth innings, Sgambati remained calm, pitching out of jams and trusting the spotless defense of the Blue. The Beavers put runners on second and third again in the top of the seventh when Lundin threw a runner out at the plate on a grounder to third. A flyout to left the following at bat finished the game with Sgambati's shutout intact.

O'Reilly threw a second complete game, striking out five while allowing six hits across six innings. 

The Blue head to Coast Guard tomorrow to play the Bears in a NEWMAC doubleheader at 12:00 & 2:00 PM. The Beavers host Springfield for two NEWMAC games at the same time.