BOSTON, Mass. – Wellesley College softball split a pair of NEWMAC contests with Emerson College at Rotch Field on Saturday. The Blue (18-10 Overall, 9-7 NEWMAC) dropped a 7-4 opener before recovering with a definitive 13-1 game two.
Game 1 | Emerson 7, Wellesley 4 | Final
A big five run fifth inning allowed the Lions (5-19 Overall, 3-11 NEWMAC) to move past Wellesley, 7-4. Blue senior Andrea Delgado (Miami, Fla.) went 3-3 in the game, including a 100th career hit.
After a scoreless first inning and a half, Emerson put two runs up in the bottom of the second frame. A pair of hits and a wild pitch put runners on second and third base. Sophomore Riley Fasteau (Silver Spring, Md.) grounded in first-year Casey Yacovelli (Warminster, Pa.). Senior Kayla Nuehlen (Wolcott, Conn.) then did the same thing to allow junior Caleigh Sheehan (Bolton, Conn.) to score.
A chaotic play in the fifth led to the Blue scoring three runs to take the lead. With first-year Jailey Polski (Boise, Idaho) and sophomore Natalie Nicol (Crockett, Texas) on base, junior Alena Mulhern (Kingston, Mass.) stepped up to the dish. Mulhern singled to center and due to an ensuing throwing error, all three runners, including Mulhern herself, scored to put Wellesley up 3-2.
The Blue added a fourth run that same inning when junior Jill Colgan (Las Vegas, Nev.) smacked an RBI double to center that plated Delgado.
The Lions quickly reversed the momentum with a five-run bottom of the fifth that reclaimed the lead at 7-4. First-year Malena Cardinale (Arlington, Va.) launched a two-run double to left that advanced Valentina Luciano (New York City, N.Y.) and Elizabeth Miehlich (Chicago, Ill.) home. A fielding error later resulted in Cardinale scoring Emerson's fifth run. Sheehan capped the inning off with a two-run single up the middle.
Sheehan went the distance for Emerson, fanning nine and surrendering eight hits and a walk.
Junior Sarah Wicker (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) started for Wellesley, going 4.1 innings with five runs allowed (four earned), six hits given up, and three sat down via the strikeout. Colgan came in for 1.2 innings of relief, striking out two while two runs came in.
Game 2 | Wellesley 13, Emerson 1 | Final
Wellesley's hitting was in full force with 15 hits and 13 runs in game two. First-year Brooklyn Awad (Montclair, N.J.) had four hits and senior Chiara Lundin (Piedmont, Calif.) added three hits in the victory.
The Blue got out to an early 1-0 edge with a run in the first. An error on a grounder by Colgan caused Awad to come in for a run.
Emerson knotted the affair at 1-1 in the bottom half of the second inning. Nuehlen hit into a sacrifice fly, scoring Yacovelli on the play.
The visitors capitalized in the third, supplying four runs for a commanding 5-1 margin. Awad singled in Delgado to begin the offensive barrage of scoring. Lundin continued the trend with a single through the left side and plating Awad. Junior Diana Borrison (San Jose, Calif.) smacked an RBI single to bring in Colgan. A dropped fly ball off the bat of junior Anisa Rodriguez (La Quinta, Calif.) scored Lundin to increase Wellesley's lead to 5-1.
Mulhern scored on a bunt single by Delgado in the fourth inning, running the Blue up to a 6-1 advantage.Â
The runs continued to pile up for the visitors in the fifth. Rodriguez singled up the middle, scoring senior Emeline Gaunce (Los Altos, Calif.), who was pinch-running for Lundin after a single.
Six more runs for the Blue came in the top of the seventh. Borrison cracked a triple to right-center and drove in junior Giana Jones (Fairfield, Calif.). Mulhern cracked a two-run double and Delgado matched it with a two-run double of her own. Awad put the icing on top with an RBI single to score Delgado.
Colgan gave up just one run and four base runners over the first four innings while striking one out. First-year Lauren Seyller (South Elgin, Ill.) picked up a three inning save for the Blue, with only one hit and walk allowed and one k.
Junior Kate Regan (Manchester, Conn.) went 6.1 innings of 13 runs for Emerson. Sheehan threw the final .2 innings.Â
Next up, the Blue travel across town to Babson College for a 3 & 5 PM doubleheader on Friday, May 1. The Lions are back in action tomorrow playing an 11 AM & 12:30 PM pair of games at Coast Guard Academy.
