Amherst, MA --- In the team's final non-conference games of the regular season, the WPI softball team came away with a pair of one-run victories over Amherst on Tuesday afternoon. WPI earned a 1-0 game one victory before prevailing in game two 2-1 in six innings due to darkness. 
 
The Engineers (17-12-1) have now won eight in a row heading into the team's final two weekends of regular season action this year. Amherst is now 7-24 on the season after today's losses. 
 
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) was enough to keep the Mammoths at bay in game one as the Engineers came away with the shutout victory. Boldebuck finished the game pitching all seven innings in the shutout, allowing just four hits and striking out nine batters. 
 
In game two, Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) stepped up, also allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out three in six innings of action. 
 
Game One
The Engineers scored the eventual game winner in the top of the first in game one of the day with the Mammoths. 
 
NEWMAC Player of the Week Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) continued her hot streak getting things going with a two-out single through the left side. One batter later, Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) sent a double to right centerfield that brought home Fairbairn to put a run on the board for the Engineers. 
 
WPI put another seven hits on the board through the rest of the game, threatening in each of the next six innings, but were unable to score. However, the Engineer defense and pitching of Boldebuck.
 
Game Two
Amherst got the scoring going in the first inning utilizing a free pass to get a run on the board. 
 
In the second, WPI evened the score at one apiece taking advantage of a similar situation. After O'Brien started off the inning with a walk, she moved up to second after Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, CA) was hit by a pitch in the next at bat. Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) reached on a fielder's choice that erased O'Brien at third, but one batter later, Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) singled to right center field to bring home Lazarus to even the score. 
 
The Engineers took the lead in the third inning. Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA) used her speed to beat out a bunt single to start things off, moving up to second after a Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) single to right field. Fairbairn reached via an Amherst fielding error to load the bases for O'Brien who sent a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield to make it a 2-1 ballgame. 
 
The Engineers, and Barr, were able to keep Amherst off the board for the rest of the night as the game came to an early end due to darkness with WPI coming away with the 2-1 victory.
 
Next Up
The Engineers are back in action on Friday afternoon when they face crosstown rival Clark in some NEWMAC doubleheader action starting at 3pm. Amherst returns to NESCAC action on Saturday, April 27 when the team hosts Middlebury College on Senior Day beginning at 11:30am.