Salisbury, MD -- On day one of the Margie Knight Softball Classic at the Henry S. Parker Softball Complex, the WPI softball team split its day dropping the first game of the day, 6-3, to No. 20 Tufts before rebounding against Muhlenberg (PA) with a 5-0 shutout, the team's second of the season.
The Engineers' (4-2)
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) picked up the game two victory over Muhlenberg (8-4), allowing just four hits and striking out three over the seven inning affair.
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) finished the game with a 2-for-3 outing driving in a run while
Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) drove in a pair in the win.
In the game one loss against No. 20 Tufts,
Sofia Knopf (Plymouth, MA) pitched 3.2 innings of action, allowing six hits and three earned runs while striking out a pair. At the plate,
Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) went 1-for-3 driving in a pair of runs and scoring another two. Fairbairn blasted her fourth roundtripper of the season in the game.
GAME ONE
WPI got on the board first in the top of the first as an
Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) double to left center brought home Fairbairn for the 1-0 lead. But Tufts answered back gaining a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning.
WPI retook the lead in the third thanks to a two-run blast from Fairbairn, for the 3-2 advantage and hung on to that lead for an inning before the Jumbos used four hits and a sacrifice fly to regain a 5-3 advantage. Tufts made it a 6-3 game in the sixth thanks to a double steal where things would remain.
GAME TWO
WPI bounced back in the second game of the day putting the first runs of the day on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. O'Brien started things off with a double to right center and was replaced on the basepaths by
Suzannah Figler (Baltimore, MD) who immediately stole third base and came home on a Lum single to right center to make it a 1-0 game. Colleen Maye (XXX) pinch ran for Lum and moved up to second on a ground out and up to third on a single to third. Maye would score on a throwing error by the Muhlenberg catcher for the 2-0 lead.
In the fifth, the Engineers added to their total with
Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) starting things off with a walk, stealing second and scoring on a single up the middle from
Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) for the 3-0 advantage.
Fairbairn laid down a bunt single back to the pitcher as Latour raced all the way from first to third on the play. Fairbairn stole second in the next at bat prompting a Muhlenberg pitching change. In the first at bat for the relief pitcher, O'Brien roped a single to centerfield to bring home Latour while Fairbairn scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give the Engineers a 5-0 lead, and the ultimate victory.
The Mules left a pair of runners on base in the final innings of the game, but Boldebuck shut things down for the shutout win.
The Engineers round out play in the Margie Knight Classic on Sunday, March 16 beginning at 11 am when they take on New York University followed by King's (PA) at 1 pm. Tufts returns to the diamond against The College of New Jersey also at 11am followed by their finale in the Classic against host team No. 13 Salisbury. Muhlenberg will round out the weekend against MIT at Noon followed by Susquehanna at 2pm.
WPI-Tufts Box Score
WPI- Muhlenberg (PA) Box Score
