WORCESTER -- On a rainy Tuesday afternoon, the WPI softball team got its offense going, pounding out 17 hits en route to a 16-8 game two, run rule victory as the Engineers split a pair of games with Bates College at Rooftop Field. 
 
The game two victory marked the first run rule win of the 2024 season for the Engineers (6-7-1) as Bates (3-10) was able to pick up a 5-1 victory in game one. 
 
The Engineers put together four triples in the ball game, a pair from Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI), who finished game two with a 3-for-4 outing, driving in a run and scoring a pair of her own. Both Callie Allison (Milford, OH) and Kate Gagne (Portsmouth, NH) each picked up a triple of their own as Allison finished with a pair of runs driven in and a pair of runs scored and Gagne was 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored.  Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) was 3-for-3 in game two with three runs scored and another run driven in. 
 
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) ended the game with three sacrifice flies, driving in three RBIs despite an 0-for-1 outing.  As press time, NCAA softball records couldn't be found for sacrifice flies, however the feat had been accomplished only 11 times in the 147 years of major league baseball, which features nine inning contests while O'Brien achieved the mark in the just five frames.   The major leaguers with three sacrifice flies in a game include Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Edgar Martinez, MVPs George Bell, Juan Gonzalez and Don Mattingly, as well as Chad Kreuter, Jose Lopez, Bob Meusel, Russ Nixon, former stolen base leader Vince Colemen and WPI head coach Heather Ross' all-time favorite San Francisco Giant Candy Maldonado.

Game One
A five-run third inning was the deciding factor in a 5-1 victory for Bates over the Engineers in game one. Five hits, a walk and a hit by pitch factored into the scoring, which was highlighted by a Zariya Anderson (Wayzata, MN) triple to right center that got the scoring going. 
 
WPI answered back in the fourth inning with a run of its own as Lum started things off with a double to left center, moving to third on an Allison single to right field and came home one batter later when Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) singled to the shortstop to drive Lum home and add a run to the board. 
 
But that was all the Engineers could muster in game one as the Bates' pitcher Delaney Rankin (Harrison, ME) threw a complete game, allowing just four hits while striking out four on the day. 
 
For the Engineers, Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) picked up the loss getting the start and throwing 2.1 innings while allowing eight hits and the five runs out of the 16 batters she faced. Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, CA) stepped into the game in relief, shutting down the Bates offense allowing just three hits while keeping the Bobcats off of the board. 
 
Game Two
The offense got going in game two as the Engineers pulled out the 16-8 victory. 
 
Bates started things off with a pair of runs in the top of the first but the Engineers answered back in the bottom half of the inning using some small ball as Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) walked to start the game off, stole second, moved over to third on a fly out to right field and came home on a sacrifice fly from O'Brien to make it a 2-1 game. 
 
The Bobcats put another one on the board in the top of the second but WPI answered once again this time as a Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) double up the middle drove home Gagne from first base. 
 
WPI held Bates scoreless in the third and were able to even the score in the bottom half of the inning as Sherwood kicked off the inning with a single to left center, moved up to second in the next at bat, stole third and came home on a wild pitch to make it a 3-3 ballgame after three complete innings. 
 
In the fourth the floodgates opened both on the field and from the sky as Bates put three runs on the board in the top half of the inning before WPI added another seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. 
 
Gagne drove home pinch runner Jordan with a triple to left field, scoring one batter later as Fairbairn reached on a fielding error. McKinney was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second and prompted a pitching change for Bates. The duo stole second and third and after a Sherwood walk, Fairbairn scored. 
 
Another sacrifice fly from O'Brien gave WPI its first lead of the game 7-6, and Lum followed with another triple, coming home one batter later after an Ava Laughlin (Chester Springs, PA) single up the middle. Laughlin then scored on a double to left center to make it a 10-6 game as 11 batters came to the plate in the inning. 
 
After another pair of runs in the top of the fifth, WPI sealed the victory with a massive six-run fifth inning 
 
McKinney and Sherwood started off with back-to-back singles before yet another triple, this time from Allison brought home a pair of runs before O'Brien netted her third sac fly of the day to make it a 13-8 ball game and bring Allison home. 
 
A Fairbairn single down the leftfield line brought home a pair of Engineers and McKinney ended the ball game with a single that brought Gagne home for the run rule victory. 
 
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) got the start for the Engineers, pitching 3.1 innings of action, allowing six hits, six runs and striking out a pair. Lazarus stepped in once again in relief and closed out the game allowing one hit and a pair of runs in 1.2 innings of action and picking up her third victory of the year. 
 
Next Up
WPI returns to action with more NEWMAC play when the Engineers face off against Emerson on Friday, April 5 with a doubleheader at home beginning at 3:30 pm. Bates will look to bounce back at Middlebury with a doubleheader kicking off at 1 pm on Saturday, April 6.
 
Game #1 Box Score
 
Game #2 Box Score