WORCESTER -- The WPI softball team closed the regular season with a split against Wellesley on Saturday at Rooftop Field. The Blue won game one, 5-0, while the Engineers captured game two 10-5. 

WPI (20-18, 11-7) will move on to the NEWMAC Tournament, which is currently slated for May 3-7. The complete bracket will be announced this weekend on NEWMACSports.com.  WPI will be the fourth seed when the tournament opens and will play fifth seeded Babson in the opening game at either MIT or Coast Guard.  The two teams will play each other Monday in the regular season finale with MIT only needing one win to nab the tournament's top seed.   Wellesley sees its 2023 campaign end at 9-21-1, 5-11 in conference action. 

After being held to five hits in game one, WPI's offense broke out in game two, led by three hits and three runs scored from Lindsay Ambrosino (Chelmsford, MA). Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) and Destiny Lum (Kahaluʻu, HI) each drove in a pair of runs with Sherwood tallying two triples. Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) got the win for the Engineers, throwing six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits. 

Game One

Wellesley took advantage of six WPI errors in the field in the 5-0 victory. Lauren Young (Fresno, CA) got the win, tossing seven scoreless innings, and scattering five hits with four strikeouts. WPI's Sophia Togneri (Hudson, MA) suffered the loss, allowing eight hits and five runs, two earned in seven innings of work. 

The Blue jumped out to a 1-0 advantage with a run on two hits in the top of the second. Chiara Lundin (Piedmont, CA) singled to lead-off and advanced to third on a bunt and an error. Young then sent Lundin home on a single up the middle before a double play ended the inning. 

In the top of the third, Wellesley pushed three more across to make it a 4-0 game. Julz Vargas (Los Angeles, CA) and Ingrid Hsu (San Ramon, CA) singled to open the frame with Vargas scoring on a misplayed bunt on the next play. Charis Chung (San Gabriel, CA) and Hsu then executed a double steal with Hsu scoring to make it 3-0. Later in the frame, another double steal led to a 4-0 cushion as Chung stole home for another run. 

Wellesley added an insurance run in the top of the fourth with a bunt single from Elli DeCleene (North Reading, MA) coming around to score in an infield single from Hsu.

WPI got singles in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, but Young worked around both of them to wrap up the victory. 

Game Two

WPI's offense came alive in game two, pounding out 12 hits en route to the 10-5 victory. 

Wellesley scored two runs in its first at-bat, capitalizing on infield singles from Hsu and Chung. A Delgado squeeze scored Hsu for the first run of the game, while a passed ball plated Chung making it 2-0 Blue. 

WPI tied the game in the bottom of the first using a hit and a pair of Wellesley errors. Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA) led off with a walk and advanced to second on an error that allowed Ambrosino to reach. After a Lum single, both Russell and Ambrosino scored on an error to tie the game at 2-2. 

The Engineers tacked on two in the bottom of the fourth to take their first lead of the game. Sherwood tripled to open the inning and a Russell groundout made it 3-2. Ambrosino followed with a double and then scored on a two-base error to push it to 4-2. 

The Blue got one back in the top of the third to cut the lead to 4-3. An error allowed Hsu to reach to start the inning and she later scored on a Andrea Delgado (Miami, FL) squeeze bunt. 

WPI countered with two more in the bottom of the third to go up 6-3. Kelly Pritchard (Orange, CT) and Nagy notched back-to-back singles and were sent home on another Sherwood triple. 

Wellesley cut it to 6-5 with two in the top of the fifth. Chloe Theriault (Peoria, AZ) singled through the right side, and Maggie Abernathy (Phoenix, AZ) reached on an error, which allowed Theriault to score. A Parker Phillips (River Forest, Il) ground-out then sent Abernathy home as the Blue got the deficit down to one run. 

In the bottom of the fifth, WPI again extended its advantage to 10-5. An RBI double from Nagy started the scoring and Gabriella Cerbo (Middletown, NJ) added another with a single through the left side. After a Russell single, Lum doubled to right to score a pair as the Engineers went up by five. 

Wellesley had just two baserunners the rest of the way, and WPI's Pritchard pitched a scoreless seventh to finish out the Engineers' win. 

The Blue's Marisa Sgambati (Scottsdale, AZ) suffered the loss in game two, going four innings, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits.