WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College softball wrapped up the regular season with key 6-1 and 1-0 victories over Smith College on Saturday. The Blue (20-13 Overall, 11-9 NEWMAC) will now await the NEWMAC Softball Championship release to find out where it will play its first postseason games since 2019.
Following the game, the Blue celebrated seniors Milo Abernethy (Phoenix, Ariz.), Andrea Delgado (Miami, Fla.), Emeline Gaunce (Los Altos, Calif.) and Chiara Lundin (Piedmont, Calif.).
Game 1 | Wellesley 6, Smith 1 | Final
Junior Jill Colgan (Las Vegas, Nev.) came up big with a complete-game win, setting down two via strikes with seven baserunners and one run surrendered in seven innings of work. The offense backed Colgan with 11 hits and three steals.
First-year Brooklyn Awad (Montclair, N.J.) drove in a team-leading 20th RBI of the year in the bottom of third to put the Blue up 1-0. Awad's single to left-center allowed sophomore Natalie Nicol (Crockett, Texas) to come in and score. Awad advanced home later in the inning when Lundin singled up the middle.
Wellesley tacked on three runs in the fourth to go up 5-0. With runners on first and second, junior Alena Mulhern (Kingston, Mass.) capitalized with a hit up the middle that scored Gaunce. Delgado followed it up with a two-run single to center, with Mulhern and junior Diana Borrison (San Jose, Calif.) crossing the plate.
Smith (16-20 Overall, 8-12 NEWMAC) chipped away at the deficit with a run in the fifth. With runners on second and base, first-year Sophie Hasegawa (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) drove a sacrifice fly to center field and allowed sophomore Lily Hackett (Concord, N.H.) to score.
The Blue ran the lead back to five in the fifth when Gaunce tripled to left and Colgan came home.
First-year Violet Peverly (Granby, Conn.) opened the game for Smith, pitching 3.2 innings with nine hits and five runs allowed. Classmate Alana Robinson (Benicia, Calif.) went 2.1 innings of one in relief.
Game 2 | Wellesley 1, Smith 0 | Final
First-year Lauren Seyller (South Elgin, Ill.) flirted with a perfect game, retiring the first 18 batters she faced before finally surrendering a hit in the top of the seventh inning. Seyller's one-hit shutout propelled the Blue to a 1-0 game two victory. Seyller struck out a season-high eight batters.
After seven scoreless half innings, Wellesley broke the stalemate with a bottom of the fourth run. Gaunce's great day continued with a single to left that scored Rodriguez, who previously led off with a hit.
That run proved to be all the offense that Wellesley needed, with Seyller keeping the shutout together through the final out.
Junior Bailey Gray (Missouri City, Texas) went all six innings for the Bears, setting down two via strikes.
