WORCESTER, Mass. – Wellesley College softball opened NEWMAC action with a doubleheader sweep of Clark University at O'Brien Softball Field on Friday. Wellesley (7-5 Overall, 2-0 NEWMAC) took game one 8-2 and won game two 8-0 in five innings. 

Game 1 | Wellesley 8, Clark 2 | Final

Wellesley opened the scoring in the first with a sac fly from first-year Brynne Mellady (Ellicott City, Md.) that scored sophomore Alena Mulhern (Kingston, Mass.).

Clark (7-9 Overall, 0-2 NEWMAC) tied the game in its first at-bat on an RBI double by first-year Avery Della Piana (Tewksbury, Mass.).

The Blue plated four runs on six hits in the second to take a 5-1 advantage. Senior Charis Chung (San Gabriel, Calif.), first-year Ruijia Yang (Berwyn, Pa.), Mellady, and sophomore Diana Borrison (San Jose, Calif.) each had an RBI single in the inning. 

In the third, Yang doubled to left to score Chung and Mulhern for a 7-1 Wellesley lead. 

Sophomore Anisa Rodriguez (La Quinta, Calif.) put the Blue on top 8-1 in the sixth with a RBI groundout that scored Yang, who earlier reached base on a double. 

Clark answered with a run in the bottom half of the sixth with another RBI double from Della Piana. 

Wellesley sophomore Sarah Wicker (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) tossed a complete game for the third time this season. Wicker allowed two runs on two hits with seven strikeouts.

Yang led Wellesley with a 4-for-4 effort with three RBIs and two runs scored. Chung and Mellady added two hits apiece. Wellesley finished with 12 hits to record at least 10 hits in a game for the seventh time this season.  

Piana had the only two hits for the Cougars. 

Game 2 | Wellesley 8, Clark 0 | Final - 5 Innings

Wellesley struck early with a pair of runs in the first benefiting from a couple of Clark miscues. Mulhern scored the first run on a throwing error, while Chung came across on an RBI groundout by Mellady with another unearned run. 

After three scoreless innings, the Wellesley bats knocked in six runs on six hits in the top of the fifth. A pair of RBI singles by sophomore Giana Jones (Fairfield, Calif.) and Mulhern sandwiched an RBI triple by junior Andrea Delgado (Miami, Fla.) for a 5-0 lead. Later in the inning, Yang hit a two-run double to the gap and then scored on a Mellady single for the 8-run lead. 

The Cougars went down in order in the bottom of the fifth to end the game after five frames. 

Wellesley senior Lauren Young (Fresno, Calif.) improved to 4-1 with a 5-inning gem with two hits allowed and a couple of strikeouts. 

Mulhern finished with two hits, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base for the Blue. Chung added two hits, two runs and a couple of stolen bases. 

Piana had one of the two Clark knocks. 

Both teams go on the road for non-conference doubleheaders next. The Blue will play at Brandeis University at 3 & 5 PM on Wednesday, April 2. The Cougars travel to Fitchburg State University at the same time on Tuesday, April 1.