Waltham, MA --- The WPI softball team dropped game one of a doubleheader with Brandeis on Friday before game two was halted due to darkness with the two teams tied 7-7. 
 
The Engineers (3-4-1) fell 14-6 in a six inning game one to the Judges (4-5) and held a 7-3 advantage after the top of the sixth before Brandeis responded with four runs to tie things up at 7-all at the end of the sixth inning before the game was halted due to darkness. 
 
The two teams will reconvene to finish the final inning of action at a later date.  If they are unable to resume the contest, the game would be declared a time.
 
Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) finished game one with a 3-for-3 effort scoring a run and driving in another three blasting her first home run of the season while Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) netted her second roundtripper of 2024 scoring a pair of runs and driving in another two. 
 
In game two, McKinney added another 2-for-3 effort with a pair of doubles, two RBIs and a run scored. Both Nagy and Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) netted a home run, driving in a pair of runs in the game. 
 
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) picked up the loss for WPI in game one, pitching just an inning of action before leaving the game in the second inning after allowing five runs off of two hits. Nagy stepped in for ? of an inning allowing a trio of runs on two hits before Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, CA) came in to finish out the game. 
 
Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) pitched the first four innings of action in game two allowing a trio of runs before Nagy stepped in in the fifth inning pitching 1.2 innings before the game was halted. 
 
Game One
An eight-run second inning doomed the Engineers in the first game of the day. The Judges held on to that advantage and went on to win a 14-6, 6 inning game in the first game of the day. 
 
After Nagy started things off with a two-run bomb to left field to put the Engineers on top in the top of the first inning, Brandeis responded by putting eight runs on the board in the second, beginning things with a homer and used a bases loaded walk, pair of singles to center and a sacrifice fly to take an 8-2 advantage. 
 
WPI got a few back in the third inning as Callie Allison (Milford, OH) started things off with a sacrifice fly that brought home McKinney, who began the inning with a double down the leftfield line. Nagy followed after being hit by a pitch and Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) reached on a walk to load the bases, setting up Allison. 
 
Lazarus singled to shortstop to reload the bases and Ava Laughlin (Chester Springs, PA) sent a pinch hit single up the middle to drive home Lum and Nagy to make it an 8-5 ballgame. 
 
But as soon as WPI got within striking distance, Brandeis replied with a four run bottom of the third to regain a seven run advantage. Both teams added a run in the fourth, but Brandeis managed to tack on another in the sixth inning with a walkoff fielder's choice from Brooke Boehmer (Pittsburgh, PA) to take game one. 
 
Game Two
The Judges kept the momentum going into game two putting up one run on the board in the first, second and third innings of action before WPI was able to respond. 
 
The Engineers responded in a large fashion putting five runs on the board in the fifth inning to take their first lead of the day. Alex Sheehan (Mario, MA) started the action off with a single to third base, stealing second in the next at bat. Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA) reached on a Brandeis error and Sheehan moved up to third to put runners on the corners for McKinney who answered with a double to right field to give WPI its first run of the day. 
 
Nagy followed that up with a single to left field that brought home both Russell and McKinney to even the score at three apiece. Following Nagy's at bat, O'Brien blasted a two-run shot to give WPI a 5-3 advantage. 
 
The Engineers added another pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning as Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) doubled to right center to start things off, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from Kate Gagne (Portsmouth, NH) and scoring on a Sheehan fielder's choice. Sheehan then stole second, and third, and eventually came around to score on an RBI double to left center to build the WPI lead to 7-3. 
 
But, Brandeis was able to put four runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth to even the score at seven-all before the game was halted.
 
Next Up
The Engineers are slated to return to action on Sunday afternoon, March 23 at Eastern Connecticut with a doubleheader beginning at 2pm. Brandeis will be back in action with a doubleheader at UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday, March 27 starting at 3pm.
 
Game #1 Box Score
 
Game #2 Current Stats