Bianchi Leads Blue Softball to Sweep of Emerson

BOSTON, Mass. – Wellesley College softball opened the 2016 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) season on Saturday afternoon, sweeping both games of a doubleheader with Emerson College at Rotch Field. Sophomore Madeline Bianchi (Lakeville, Minn.) pitched a complete game shutout to lead Wellesley to a 6-0 victory in game one, before surrendering just two hits in a 5-3 game two victory.

Wellesley improves to 4-6 on the season, opening conference play with a 2-0 record. Emerson drops to 8-10 on the year and 0-2 in the NEWMAC. 

Game One: Wellesley 6, Emerson 0

Bianchi racked up a career-high 11 strikeouts and pitched her second career shutout in a 6-0 victory in game one. The Wellesley starter surrendered just three hits in the contest while allowing six base runners over seven innings of work.

Junior Anna Pisac (Snohomish, Wash.) continued her hot start to the season, hitting a solo home run to leadoff the top of the second inning. Pisac now has five home runs through nine games this season after hitting four all of last season.

The Blue scored a pair of runs on errors, one in the top of the second and one in the top of the third, before Pisac returned to do more damage in the top of the third inning. With no outs and a run already in, Pisac powered a double to right to score senior Carly Bresee (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) all the way from first base. Pisac's second RBI of the contest made the score 4-0.

The Blue added two more runs to close out the 6-0 victory. In the top of the fourth, sophomores Zein Aburish (Alexandria, Va.) and Julia Warner (Kenmore, Wash.) hit back-to-back doubles to open the inning, with Warner driving home Aburish. Junior Alex Faura (La Verne, Calif.) scored the final Wellesley run in the top of the fifth when Aburish got caught in a rundown during an attempted double steal, allowing Faura to sneak down the third base line and across home.

With Wellesley leading 6-0 after the top of the fifth, Bianchi surrendered just one hit, a leadoff single in the sixth, over the final three innings to close out the victory.

Game Two: Wellesley 5, Emerson 3

Just as she did in game one, Pisac staked Bianchi to an early lead in game two, hitting an RBI triple to score Bresse and senior Jaclyn Tsang (Manalapan, N.J.) to make the score 2-0 in the top of the first inning.

The Blue added two more runs in the top of the third inning. Tsang opened the frame with a single to left and a stolen base to end up on second. Bresee was retired by Emerson starter Kodie Cash (Big Bear City, Calif.) for the first out, before Pisac moved Tsang to third with a single. Junior Kendra Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) brought both runners home to score with a two-RBI single to give the Blue a 4-0 lead.

Bianchi cruised through the opening four innings of play without giving up a hit before the Lions got to her for the first time on the day in the bottom of the fifth inning. Following a strikeout to open the inning, Bianchi allowed first year Caroline Fortuna (East Greenwich, R.I.) to reach on a single. She then walked junior Shelby Carney (North Reading, Mass.) before sophomore Jacqueline DeFusco (East Greenwich, R.I.) powered the Lions back into the game with a three-run home run to make the score 4-3.

The Wellesley starter settled back in after the three-run fifth, setting down the Lions in order in both the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings to record her second victory of the day and her fourth of the season (4-3).

Wellesley will travel to Brandeis University for a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, March 30 at 3:00 PM. Emerson will also be in action on Wednesday when they take on local rival Suffolk at 3:30 PM.