Salisbury, MD -- The WPI softball team capped off a successful weekend at the Margie Knight Softball Classic with back-to-back victories on Sunday, defeating New York University 7-6 in a comeback thriller before shutting out King's 5-0. The Engineers now move to 6-2 overall, NYU is 4-7, and King's 4-4.
 
GAME ONE
WPI opened the day with a hard-fought battle against NYU, rallying in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.

For WPI, Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) led the way at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a double. Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) delivered the game-winning hit in the seventh and finished with two RBIs. Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) added two hits and scored twice, while Destiny Lum (Kahalu?u, HI) drove in a run.

NYU had Emily Barbire (Hawthorne, NJ) drive in two runs, while Claire Carson (Senoia, GA) tallied two hits and two runs scored. Victoria Negron (Vineland, NJ) added an RBI triple and a run scored.

The Engineers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a single from Lum, which drove in Latour and Fairbairn, who scored on an error.

NYU responded in the second, cutting the deficit to 2-1 on a stolen base that led to a run. WPI extended its lead in the third as Fairbairn doubled down the right-field line, bringing home Latour for a 3-1 advantage. A fielding error allowed Fairbairn to score, pushing the lead to 4-1.

The fourth inning, however, saw NYU surge ahead with a five-run outburst. Negron tripled in a run, and Olivia De Hesselle (Charlotte, NC) executed a sacrifice bunt to bring another runner home. Alyssa Quary (Long Beach, CA) and Barbire each delivered RBI hits to give NYU a 6-4 lead.

WPI chipped away in the fifth when Sherwood walked, stole second, and scored on a single from Fairbairn to make it 6-5. The Engineers then staged their final rally in the bottom of the seventh. Figler pinch-ran for O'Brien after a double, and Nagy came through with the clutch two-run double to left center, scoring Figler and Fairbairn to walk it off.

Boldebuck picked up the win in relief, throwing 3.1 innings while allowing one run on four hits.
 
GAME TWO
The Engineers wrapped up the tournament with a shutout over King's, backed by a stellar performance from Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI). Barr allowed just two hits over seven innings while striking out three in the complete-game shutout.

WPI saw Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) go 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Lum added a 2-for-4 effort with an RBI double, while Colleen Mayer (Hillsborough, NJ) went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Fairbairn continued her hot day with two more hits and a stolen base.
 
King's was limited to just two hits, with Meghan Marianelli (Old Forge, PA) and Brianna Goldspiel (East Stroudsburg, PA) each recording a single.

After three scoreless innings, WPI struck in the fourth. Jordan singled and came around to score on a double from Lum. Mayer followed with a single up the middle, driving in Lum to make it 2-0.
 
The Engineers added insurance runs in the seventh. McKinney led off with a single and later scored on a fielder's choice by Jordan. O'Brien laid down a sacrifice bunt that allowed another run to score, and Nagy capped the scoring with an RBI double to right center.
 
WPI will return to New England on Saturday, March 22 playing a doubleheader at Johnson & Wales at noon. NYU has Stockton next, playing two at Fordham on March 22 at 1 pm, while Kings hosts a doubleheader against Muhlenberg College on Thursday, March 20 at 3pm.
 
WPI-NYU Box Score
 
WPI- King's (PA) Box Score