Softball Closes Out Season With Pair of Losses to WPI

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley softball ended the 2022 campaign with a pair of losses to the WPI Engineers on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue finish at 4-27 overall and 3-15 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play. WPI is now 27-13 and 15-5 in conference play and will move on to the NEWMAC postseason tournament.

Game 1 | WPI 8, Wellesley 0 | Final (6 Innings)

Engineer starting pitcher Kate Martin (Bedford, N.H.) threw a no-hitter in game one to lead WPI. The graduate student struck out one and walked just one batter. First year Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) went 1-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs.

WPI struck first in the top half of the second with a single up the middle by Stephanie Bishop (Milford, N.H.) to score Jocelyn Diaz (Reedley, Calif.). Blue senior Hayley Moniz (Westfield, Mass.) worked a walk in the bottom of the frame and proved to be the only Wellesley base runner of the game. 

Lazarus extended the WPI lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning with a single to left. She was then thrown out at second base to end the inning, but both runs were able to cross. The Engineers put the game away in the sixth by scoring five runs on five hits. Kallie Case (Phoenix, Ariz.), Alex Sheehan (Marion, Mass.), and Alicia Salvalzo (Hudson, N.H.) all recorded an RBI single in the frame. Wellesley starter Marisa Sgambati (Scottsdale, Ariz.) went 5.2 innings and allowed five earned while striking out three.

Game 2 | WPI 8, Wellesley 1 | Final

The Engineers kept the bat working in game two, scoring five runs in the first inning. First year Kelly Pritchard (Orange, Conn.) bolted a three-run home run to left center. Senior Lindsay Ambrosino (Chelmsford, Mass.) was able to bring home two more with a two-out double. All five runs in the first inning came unearned for starting pitcher Moniz. 

With a runner on first in the top of the second, Sheehan laid down a bunt in an attempt to move Sydney Russell (Arlington, Va.) over. Russell was able to make it all the way to third and eventually home after Blue second baseman Aniko Alexander (Gaithersburg, Md.) made a throwing error. WPI was able to take a 6-0 lead after two.

Alexander made up for the error in the fourth with a big single to right field and brought home Moniz. Alexander finished 2-for-3 with the lone RBI of the day for Wellesley. The bats went silent the following two innings for both squads until WPI added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Lazarus roped a RBI double to left center and Pritchard followed with a single up the middle to bring Lazarus home. The Blue received a double from Alexander in the bottom of the frame but ended up falling 8-1.