WORCESTER – Babson sophomore Ali Reilly (New Canaan, CT) spun a two-hitter in game one and WPI Junior Lindsay Gurska (Revere, MA) batted 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, including the game-winner, in game two as the teams wrapped up the NEWMAC regular season Saturday at Rooftop Field. The Beavers took the opener 8-0 (5 inn.) as the Engineers held on for a 4-3 victory in the nightcap.

With the results, WPI, who is fourth in the NCAA Division III New England regional rankings, move to 32-6 overall and 16-2 in league play and Babson, who debuted in the rankings at No. 10, are now 25-12 and 11-7. Babson's victory in game one ended a WPI 10-game winning streak.

Despite the split, the Engineers secured the top seed for the upcoming NEWMAC Softball Championship tournament and will host this Friday and Saturday. It is the first regular season title for the program since the NEW 8 era when the Crimson and Gray shared it with Wheaton in 1991 and won it outright in 1993. It is also the first for any WPI women's program since basketball in 2008-09.

The Beavers scored a pair in each of the first three innings and two more in the fifth en route to the run-rule victory in game one. Freshman Annie Quine (Santa Monica, CA) and junior Leslie Moore (Atkinson, NH) used back-to-back singles to take the 2-0 advantage before an out was recorded. Senior Madison Dinaso (Ardsley, NY) homered to left and Quine doubled down the left field line in the second while senior Maya Lacy (East Mill Creek, UT) and Dinaso each pushed home a run with a productive out in the third. Dinaso and sophomore Samantha Smith (Hillsborough, NJ) made it 8-0 with consecutive RBI singles in the fifth. Reilly (15-8) finished with four strikeouts and zero walks in the complete-game effort.

Sophomores Nina Murphy-Cook (Roseville, CA) and RiAnna May (Westminster, CO) each had a single for the Engineers as Murphy-Cook added a stolen base. Senior Clare Doolin (Newton, MA) (13-2) and junior Caroline Medino (Pompton Lakes, NJ) shared time in the circle for WPI.

Smith (RBI, 2 runs) and Quine (2 RBI) each batted 3-for-4 with a double as freshman Ashley Tango (Reading, MA) went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a pair of runs scored. Dinaso hit 1.000 (2-for-2) with a home run, three RBI and a run scored to go with a sacrifice fly. Defensively, Babson set down 13 batters in-a-row, including a 1-2-3 second, third and fourth, after Murphy-Cook's leadoff single in the bottom of the first.

Game two was almost a mirror image of the opener as the Engineers plated a pair in each of the first two frames. Gurska and freshman Caraline Wood (Averill Park, NY) made it a 2-0 game with consecutive run-producing singles before sophomore Ama Biney (Worcester, MA) lifted a sacrifice fly to center and Gurska followed with another RBI knock. Babson, meanwhile, chipped away in the fourth, sixth and seventh as a home run and RBI double by Tango sandwiched an RBI single to center by junior Meaghan Merullo (Winchester, MA).

Wood went 2-for-3 with an RBI as Murphy-Cook stole a pair of bases and scored twice. Sophomore Natalie Fabrizio (Hampstead, NH) contributed with a double and Biney added another sacrifice fly to go with a stolen base. Senior Jacquelyne DiTroia (Andover, MA) chipped in with a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Casey Arpin (Uxbridge, MA) (6-0) went the first 6 1/3 before Doolin came in to finish off the game.

Tango was a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles and a home run in addition to a pair of RBI and a run scored. Smith also had a pair of hits for the Beavers and also helped out with a stolen base. Dinaso (6-2) struck out four in the complete game.

Babson completes its regular season Wednesday with a trip to Tufts for a 3pm set. Both teams await the official conference tournament pairings which will be released after Wheaton and Smith's twinbill tomorrow.

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