Providence, RI --- In its first games in the northeast in this 2025 season, the WPI softball team dropped a pair of games to Johnson and Wales on Saturday afternoon. 
 
The Wildcats (5-9) earned a walk-off five inning run-rule victory in game one, 11-2 and picked up a 6-2 game two victory over WPI (6-4) at Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex. 
 
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) picked up both defeats on the day, throwing three innings in the first game, while allowing five hits and three runs. Sofia Knopf (Plymouth, MA) stepped in to pitch 1.2 innings of action, allowing six runs on six hits, while Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) was the last pitcher on record, allowing the game-ender.  
 
In game two, Boldebuck threw the first three innings of action allowing six hits and all six of the Wildcats' runs of the day. Knopf stepped into the game in relief and shut down JWU in the final three innings of action allowing just three hits, no runs and racking up four strikeouts. 
 
On the offensive front, Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) scored both of WPI's runs in the first game, getting on via some Wildcat miscues and taking advantage. In game two, the Engineers were led by Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) and her 2-for-4 effort as she knocked a pair of doubles and scored both of the team's runs.
 
GAME ONE
Fairbairn got things started in the top of the first, reaching on a miscue by the JWU third baseman. She stole second and moved over to third on a single to left field from Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) and came around to score one batter later to make it a 1-0 game. 
 
JWU evened the score in the bottom of the second, but in the top of the third WPI regained the lead 2-1. After Fairbairn got on to start things, once again, she moved all the way from first to third after a throwing error. A fielding error that followed, once again brought Fairbairn home to gain the brief advantage. 
 
That would be all the offense the Engineers could muster against the pitching of Katie Scheid (Hightstown, NJ) who allowed just a pair of hits and no earned runs while walking three and striking out three in the run-rule game. 
 
The Wildcats put another pair of runs on the board in the third and threw eight runs up in the fifth inning, including a walk-off, three-run shot from Jessica Forneiro (Kings Park, NY) to end things early, 11-2. 
 
GAME TWO 
The Engineers were the first to get on the board, once again, in the second game of the day when Lum ripped the first of her two doubles to start things off, coming home one batter later at the hands of a single to center from Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) to make it a 1-0 game. 
 
JWU was able to even the score and ultimately take a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame, but the Engineers answered back in the third inning. Lum started things off again with a double to right field and moved up to third on a single to short by O'Brien. Lum came around on an Ariana Kreuzer (Walpole, MA) single to right center to bring WPI within one, 3-2. 
 
But that would be as close as the Engineers could get as, once again, Johnson and Wales answered with a three-run bottom half of the frame, this time behind a Morgan Pelletier (Meridan, CT) three-run shot, which made it a 6-2 game, where it remained. 
 
UP NEXT 
The Engineers will host their home opener on Thursday, March 27 against crosstown rival Worcester State at Rooftop Field. The pair will take part in a doubleheader with game one kicking off at 3:30 pm. Johnson and Wales will look to keep the momentum going next Saturday, March 29 with a Noon doubleheader at Regis.