Cambridge, MA --- Thanks in part to an Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) grand slam the WPI softball team came away with a doubleheader split at No. 14 MIT on Saturday afternoon at Briggs Field. 
 
Nagy got the start on the mound in game one setting up the Engineers (5-6-1, 1-1 NEWMAC) with their first NEWMAC victory of the year in the conference opening game. MIT (9-3, 1-1) picked up its third loss of the season, escaping the second game of the day with a one-run victory. 
 
Nagy finished the outing with a 2-for-8 day picking up her first career grand slam in addition to a game two double accounting for five RBIs and two runs scored on the day. Nagy also added a victory to the win column as she got the start on the mound in game one to earn her first win of the season. Nagy pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just seven hits and two earned runs while Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, CA) stepped into game one in relief to close things out for the win with two outs of scoreless action. 
 
Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) added a 5-for-8 outing netting an RBI while tallying three runs on the day and scoring three bases while Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) finished game two with a 3-for-4 day with an RBI driven in and a run scored. 
 
Game One
The Engineers put together a four-run sixth inning to come away with the game one victory over their Cambridge based Engineer foes thanks to the Nagy round tripper, her third of the season. 
 
Following a pitching duel between Nagy and MIT hurler Caroline Langmeyer (Upper Arlington, Ohio) who didn't allow a run through the first five innings of action on the day, WPI opened up the scoring in the top of the sixth. 
 
Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) reached to start the inning thanks to an error by the MIT shortstop and moved up to second on a single to center from Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA). A single to left field from McKinney loaded the bases for Nagy who stepped up and ripped a grand slam to left field to give WPI a 4-0 lead. 
 
MIT earned one back in the bottom half of the inning using a WPI miscue to put an unearned run on the board, and added a pair of runs in the seventh after an Arianna Kumar (San Diego, CA) double to center that drove in the pair, prompting the pitching change that sealed the victory for WPI. 
 
Game Two
WPI jumped out to a fast 7-0 lead after the first four innings of action. McKinney started things off with a single to right, stealing second and scoring on a Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) single to put the Engineers up 1-0 early on.
 
WPI added another four-run inning together in the third with two outs on the board. McKinney singled to get on the basepaths, stealing second to get into scoring position and came home on a single to left from O'Brien, who moved up to second on the throw. A Lum single to left moved O'Brien to third, and Lum followed her single up with a stolen base to put two in scoring position for Callie Allison (Milford, OH) who drove them both in to make it a 3-0 game. Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) followed that up with a double to left to bring home Allison for a 5-0 lead. 
 
In the fourth, the Engineers added another pair of runs to the total as Alex Sheehan (Marion, MA) started things off with a single to center, advancing all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt from Russell and coming home on a Nagy double to center. Nagy moved up to third on a wild pitch and crossed home plate on a Lum single to left to make it a 7-0 game. 
 
However, MIT got five runs back in the bottom of the fifth to cut into the Engineers' lead and went ahead 8-7 after six complete innings heading into the final inning of action. 
 
WPI was able to tie things up in the top of the seventh after Kate Gagne (Portsmouth, NH) started the inning off with a single to center, moving up to second during Sheehan's at bat and over to third following a sac bunt from Russell. A single to the shortstop from McKinney brought in the game-tying run for the Engineers sending things into the bottom of the seventh. 
 
But MIT did not back down as Olivia Scarpaci (Staten Island, NY) doubled to center to start things off and came home on a single to right from Kennedy Adkison (San Jose, CA) who drove in the game-winner as the Engineers split the day. 
 
Next Up
WPI will be back in action on Wednesday, April 3 with a doubleheader against Bates at home beginning at 3:30pm. MIT returns to the diamond with more NEWMAC action with a Saturday, April 6 doubleheader at Babson beginning at noon.