Boston, MA --- Lindsay Ambrosino (Chelmsford, MA) and Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA) teamed up to rack up a combined nine hits, 10 runs scored and five driven in to help WPI to its first conference sweep of 2023 as the Engineers defeated host Emerson by scores of 4-1 and 14-4 in a NEWMAC softball doubleheader played Saturday afternoon at Rotch Field.  

The two victories follow four straight splits to start conference play for the Engineers, who move to 12-14 on the season and 6-4 in NEWMAC play.  Emerson slips to 13-15 overall and 1-7 in league action. 

GAME ONE

Sophia Togneri (Hudson, MA) earned her second win in as many outings as she went the distance in game one.  The lefthander, who got the win in relief in WPI's dramatic 6-5 walk-off victory Friday evening over No. 25 MIT, faced just four batters over the minimum while improving to 6-9 on the season. She scattered four hits, walked none and struck out six, including the side in the bottom of the seventh.  

The game was scoreless until the Engineers pushed across a run in the fourth.  Jocelyn Diaz (Reedley, CA) led off with a double, and pinch runner Amelia Montgomery (Acushnet, MA) was sacrificed to third by Kelly Pritchard (Orange, CT) before Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA ) delivered a run-scoring single to left.  

The guests added two more runs an inning later on a Gabi Cerbo (Middletown, NJ) pinch hit sacrifice fly and an Alicia Ambrosino (Hudson, NH) RBI single to plate Russell and Ambrosino respectively.  In the sixth, Ambrosino brought home Russell with an RBI two-bagger to make it 4-0.    

Emerson spoiled the shutout in the bottom half of the sixth when Carly Rosenberger (Conshohocken, PA) led off with an infield single and came home on a double by Kit Zenga (Los Angeles, CA) but Togneri would retire the final six batters to give the Crimson and Gray their elusive first NEWMAC doubleheader-opening victory of the season. 

GAME TWO 

The WPI offense posted runs in every inning of the nightcap, headlined by a seven-spot in the second inning and a three-run sixth frame.  Ambrosino followed up a two-hit performance in the opener by stuffing the stat sheet in game two, going 2-for-3 with a homer, a triple, four runs scored, three runs batted in, a sacrifice fly, a walk and a stolen base. 

Russell, Destiny Lum (Kahaluʻu, HI) and Salvalzo also recorded three hits in game two with Russell scoring three times and swiping a bag, Lum doubling and driving in three runs and Salvalzo belting a pair of doubles and scoring twice. Nagy also notched multiple hits and Diaz and Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) both knocked in a pair of runs.

Nagy started the game and went three innings in the circle while Pritchard came on in relief and tossed three scoreless innings of relief and earned the victory to improve to 2-0 in 2023.

Claire Overton (Wayne, NJ) and Makenzie Killough (Attleboro, MA) both racked up two runs batted in for the Lions with Overton smacking her  

UP NEXT

WPI is back in action Tuesday, hosting Bridgewater State in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3:30pm.  Emerson is off until Friday when they entertain Clark in a NEWMAC twinbill starting at 3pm.