Springfield, MA --- Down to their final strike, seniors Sydney Russell (Arlington, MA) and Alex Sheehan (Marion, MA) delivered back-to-back singles to plate Kate Gagne (Portsmouth, NH) with the tying run and Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill NY) followed with a two-run single and Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) added an insurance run with an RBI single as sixth-seeded WPI rallied to stay alive in the 2024 NEWMAC Tournament by rallying in dramatic fashion to down Smith 5-2 in Game #6 of the tournament on Thursday morning at Springfield's Potter Field.

The thrilling result moves the Engineers to 22-18-1 overall and sets up a second elimination game on Thursday at 2pm versus the winner of the noon contest between No. 2 seed and top-seed and host Springfield.  The Pioneers, who were in their first NEWMAC Tournament since 2014, see their strong season conclude with a 22-16-1 record, the first time reaching the 20-win mark in a decade.
 
Trailing 2-1 with one out in the top of the seventh, Gagne got the rally started by coxing a walk before Smith starter Emilie Doty (Arlington, VA) induced an infield pop up to get the Pioneers within an out of victory.  The Crimson and Gray were one strike away from elimination before Russell legged out a spinning grounder to short and Sheehan deposited the next pitch down the left field line to send Gagne home with the tying run.   O'Brien then stepped up and gave WPI its first lead of the game by belting a two-run double to right center and Nagy provided the Boynton Hillers with an important insurance run when she chased home O'Brien with a single through the left side.
 
Now leading 5-2, junior relief pitcher Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, CA) navigated around a two-out single to pitch her third scoreless frame of the game to secure the win for the Engineers.  The righthander allowed two hits and did not walk a batter to improve to 8-4 on the season. 
 
Smith started quicky in the bottom of the first as Taz Tamai (Cincinnati, OH) led off with a double down the left first line and Juno Shantz (Seattle, WA) walked.  The Pioneers then loaded the bases when the Engineers were unable to get an out on Taylor Ang's (San Diego, CA) sacrifice bunt, and scored the game's first run as CeCe Alaniz (Bakersfield, CA) crossed the plate, but WPI starting pitcher Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) buckled down and got out of the bases loaded, no-out jam by collecting back-to-back strikeouts and getting a flyout to center.
 
WPI was poised to tie the game in the top of the third but Ang gunned down her second runner of the game at the plate to completed a double play on a fly ball to center.   The Engineers tied the game on their next at-bat in the top of the fourth when Nagy led off the frame by belting her ninth homer of the season to left field.  The deadlock was short lived as the Pioneers used a one-out single by Piper Corey (Phoenix, AZ) and an RBI double by Lexi Balam (Lyndeborough, NH) two batters later to go back ahead 2-1.
 
Sheehan was a perfect 4-for-4 in the win while Russell and Nagy each went 3-for-4 as the Engineers outhit Smith 12-5 on the day.  Shantz, Alaniz joined Tamai, Corey and Balam with hits for the Pioneers.  Both teams played solid defense throughout as neither squad committed an error,     

Boldebuck overcame some first inning wildness to allow just runs in four innings while striking out three on the day.  Doty (12-8) was the hard luck loser for Pioneers, striking out three in 6 2/3 innings while Aislinn Lavery (Franklin, MA) got the final out of the seventh in the circle.