Wellesley Softball Runs Win Streak To Nine Games With Sweep Of Wheaton

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Senior Kendra Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) homered in game one and first years Kendall Smith (Turlock, Calif.) and Autumn Brown (Marshfield, Mass.) went deep in game two to lead Wellesley College softball to a pair of victories over Wheaton College in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Friday afternoon at the Wellesley Fields Complex. The Blue rallied from a three-run deficit to win game one, 6-4, before getting a complete game, four-hit performance from sophomore starting pitcher Sydney Hopper (Newcastle, Wash.) to win game two, 6-1.

Wellesley moves 15-4 overall and takes over first place in the conference standings with a 10-2 mark in NEWMAC play. Wheaton drops to 14-12 on the season and 9-3 in conference games.

Game One: Wellesley 6, Wheaton 1

Kendra Coleman hit her third home run in her last three games and the Blue recovered from a three-run first inning deficit to take the opener, 6-4.

Both Kendra Coleman and classmate Anna Pisac (Snohomish, Wash.) finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Junior Amanda Manning (Chico, Calif.) also added two hits and a run scored from the leadoff spot in the Wellesley order, while Smith had one hit and one RBI. In the circle, Madeline Bianchi (Lakeville, Minn.) surrendered four runs, none of them earned, and scattered seven hits to improve to 5-3 overall.

Seniors Morgan Walsh (Norwell, Mass.) and Danielle Cimino (Cumberland, Maine) each registered two hits in the contest, with Walsh also picking up an RBI as part of the Lyons' three-run first inning. Cimino also pitched a complete game, going seven innings, while giving up 10 hits and six runs, four earned, and striking out three. Seniors Mary DeMoura (Boston, Mass.) and Jessica Cochrane (Walpole, Mass.) and sophomore Emily Schlapak (Dover, N.H.) also had hits in game one for Wheaton.

Wheaton scored three runs on one hit and three Wellesley errors in an uncharacteristically sloppy first inning for the Blue. Walsh picked-up the first run with an RBI single to right, but the second and third Wheaton runs each scored thanks to Blue miscues. The Lyons held on to the lead until the bottom of the third inning when Wellesley started to chip away.

Junior Julia Warner (Kenmore, Wash.) reached base with an infield single to start the inning, advancing to third when she took two bases on a sacrifice bunt from Kendra Coleman. Pisac then brought Warner around with an RBI single through the left side. Despite the Blue's effort, Wheaton got the run back in the top of the fifth, making the score 4-1 when Schlapak singled home senior Rebecca Seifert (Franklin, Mass.).

Trailing 4-1, Wellesley tied the game with a three-run bottom of the fifth and took the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth. Kendra Coleman hit a solo home run to start the rally. Ashtyn Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) followed with a single, setting the stage for an RBI single from Pisac to make the score 4-3. Smith then tied the game with a single of her own, scoring Wellesley's centerfielder from third on the play.

The game advance to the sixth tied, where Warner and Manning both reached to start the inning. Coleman then dropped a double into the right center field gap to score Warner as the go-ahead run. Manning also scored on the play, sneaking into home after an errant relay throw to give Wellesley the 6-4 win.

Game Two: Wellesley 6, Wheaton 4

Smith had a game-high four RBIs and hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning of game two to help Wellesley extend its win streak to nine games with a 6-1 victory over the Lyons.

Brown and Ashtyn Coleman each finished 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Blue, with Brown launching her fourth career home run in the bottom of the fourth, after Ashtyn Coleman produced with an RBI double earlier in the inning. Kendra Coleman, Warner and first year Kalei Oliver (Vista, Calif.) also had hits for the Blue, who got a stellar seven-inning performance from Hopper in the circle. Hopper gave up just four hits and no earned runs, striking out a pair to move to 5-0 on the year.

Senior Caroline Fairbanks (Milford, Mass.) picked-up two of the Wheaton hits, while Schlapak and Seifert had the others. Junior Alexis Havrilla (Caldwell, N.J.) recorded an RBI with a sac-fly in the top of the sixth inning. Junior Allison Cox (Torrance, Calif.) pitched 5.1 innings, giving up six runs, all earned, to drop to 3-6 on the year. Sophomore Shelbi Wilson (Peabody, Mass.) added 0.2 innings in relief and surrendered one hit.

The Blue broke open a scoreless contest with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ashtyn Coleman drove home Kendra Coleman to open the scoring, hitting an RBI double after her sister walked to leadoff the frame. Smith then plated Ashtyn Coleman with an RBI groundout, before Brown ripped a solo home run to center to make the score 3-0. The Blue got three runs in a hurry to seal the game in the sixth, as Smith homered to center field with the Colemans on base to make the score 6-0.

Wheaton got one run back on Havrilla's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh, but Hopper got the next batter to ground out to short to end the game.

Wellesley continues NEWMAC play tomorrow, Saturday, April 15, with a 12:00 PM doubleheader at WPI. Wheaton also plays tomorrow at noon at MIT.