Mansfield, CT --- The WPI softball team split a midweek doubleheader at Eastern Connecticut on Tuesday afternoon dropping game one 7-1 but bouncing back with a 9-1 game two victory. 
 
The Engineers (4-5-1) were paced by a 2-for-3 game two outing from Callie Allison (Milford, OH) who drove in a trio of runs finishing the outing with a double and a triple. Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) picked up the game two victory for the Engineers while Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) earned the win in game one for Eastern Connecticut (8-5-1). 
 
Barr pitched the entirety of game two allowing one run, three hits and three strikeouts. Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) and Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, CA) combined for game one action with Nagy picking up the loss. The duo split the game pitching three innings apiece. Nagy finished with six hits and three earned runs allowed while walking four. Lazarus finished with two hits and a run allowed, striking out a pair.
 
Game One
After the Engineers got out to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning, Eastern Connecticut matched that run, and added a pair of three-run innings to seal the game one victory. 
 
Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA) started the game off by drawing a walk and ultimately stole second. With two outs on the board, Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) came through with a single that brought the speedy Russell home for the first run of the game. 
 
Eastern answered with a run in the bottom of the first and compiled a trio of unearned runs in the second inning to build up a 4-1 lead. The Warriors solidified the victory using a trio of bases loaded opportunities to bring home the fifth, sixth and seventh runs of the game, as well as the ultimate win.
 
Game Two
A four run third inning would be the deciding factor in game two. After Eastern started the second game of the day off, scoring a run in the first inning to keep its offense going, the Engineers would stymie the Warriors for the remainder of the game en route to the win. 
 
In the third, Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) began the action with a single up the middle which Nagy followed up with a double to left field that brought home McKinney one batter later. A single up the middle from O'Brien moved Nagy over to third, O'Brien stole second and Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) walked to load the bases for Lazarus.
 
Lazarus sent a single down the leftfield line to bring Nagy home, and run the Warrior starting pitcher from the ball game. With the bases still loaded, Allison drew a walk for the third run of the game which was followed up by an Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) fielder's choice for a 4-1 lead. 
 
Russell brought home the next Engineer run of the game by walking, advancing to second on a wild pitch, and to third on another. After McKinney drew a walk, the duo pulled a double steal with McKinney getting caught stealing as Russell scampered home for a 5-1 lead. 
 
WPI added a trio more runs in the fifth inning as O'Brien was hit by a pitch and Lum walked to put two runners on base, setting up Allison for her bases-clearing triple. Jordan grounded out to second to bring Allison home as WPI went up 8-1. 
 
The final run of the game for WPI came in the seventh inning when Lum started the inning off with a roundtripper to seal the victory. 
 
Next Up
The Engineers return to the diamond with their first NEWMAC games of the 2024 season when they take on MIT on Saturday March 30 beginning at Noon. Eastern Connecticut also returns to the field on Saturday afternoon starting a doubleheader off with UMass Dartmouth at 1pm.