WORCESTER -- The WPI softball team kept its winning ways going, extending its win streak to 10 games in a row with a pair of victories over Clark on Friday night at O'Brien Field. The team squeaked out a 9-8 game one win and held on for a 3-2 game two victory.
 
The Engineers' (19-12-1, 10-4 NEWMAC) win-streak has propelled them into double-digit conference victories, tying Springfield and Wheaton for 10-win records in NEWMAC action. Clark drops to 6-24 and 1-13 in conference action.
 
Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, CA) picked up the victory in game one coming into the game in relief of Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA).  Boldebuck started the game off pitching 4.1 innings, allowing four earned runs, four walks and a strikeout. Lazarus closed the game out with 2.2 innings of action allowing three earned runs and picking up her seventh win of the year. Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) earned the game two victory also pitching 4.1 innings and allowing a pair of earned runs on six hits. Lazarus pitched 1.2 innings followed by Boldebuck closing things out in the seventh to pick up her second save of the year. 
 
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) finished the day with 1-for-5 outing but drove in three RBIs on the day behind a pair of sacrifice flies. Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) had a trio of RBIs in game one while Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) finished the day with 4-for-7 outing driving in a pair of RBIs and scoring another three runs over the course of the doubleheader. 
 
Game One
The Engineers used a pair of four-run innings to come away with the 9-8 win in game one. Clark threatened late in the game putting together a five run fifth and a two run bottom of the seventh but Lazarus was able to fend off the Cougar threat to force the final out of the game as WPI hung on for the win. 
 
Clark was the first to get on the board in the bottom of the first taking a 1-0 lead before WPI put together its first four-run inning of the game. 
 
In the third, Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) started things off with a single to left and moved up to second following an Alex Sheehan (Marion, MA) bunt single. Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA) laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third and McKinney came through for the Engineers with a double to left field to drive them both home. 
 
Fairbairn followed that up with a single to left, bringing home McKinney and moved all the way up to third on a fielding error by the Clark left fielder. Ultimately she came home on a sacrifice fly from O'Brien to make it a 4-1 game. 
 
The Engineers added another in the top of the fifth as an O'Brien double to left center brought home Fairbairn for a 5-1 lead, but Clark regained the lead, 6-5 with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. 
 
WPI would not be stopped though, putting up another four run inning in the sixth as the Engineers took advantage of some Clark pitching miscues to load the bases for Russell who ripped a single to right field to bring home a pair, followed by a McKinney ground out to drive in another run and a Fairbairn single to center to make it a 9-6 game. 
 
Clark got close, but was unable to get enough as the Engineers buckled down in the seventh to come away with the 9-8 win. 
 
Game Two
WPI also managed another one-run win in game two, this time by a 3-2 margin. WPI put a pair of runs up in the first inning with the ultimate game winner coming in the third. 
 
Russell started the game off with a single to center, moved up to second on a wild pitch followed by a theft of third and crossing the plate on a throwing error by the Clark catcher to make it a 1-0 game. 
 
Fairbairn then reached on a fielding error by the centerfielder, moving up to second on the play. Two batters later, Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) sent a single to left field to bring Fairbairn home for the 2-0 lead. 
 
In the third inning, McKinney singled to second to start the inning off and followed that up by stealing second. Fairbairn grounded out to second, moving McKinney up to third as she came home on a sacrifice fly by O'Brien one batter later to make it a 3-0 game. 
 
Once again, Clark did not back down, putting together a pair of runs with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, but Lazarus was able to end the threat once again, in relief, before passing the baton to Boldebuck, who retired the side in order in the seventh to en route nabbing her second save of the season.
 
Next Up
WPI will be back on the diamond when the team plays host to Coast Guard on Saturday, April 27 with a NEWMAC doubleheader beginning at noon. Clark is also back in conference action on Saturday with a doubleheader at home against Springfield also at noon.