Boston, MA --- In the team's first mid-week NEWMAC doubleheader the WPI softball team split with Emerson, dropping game one by a close 3-2 score before demolishing the Lions 9-0 in a run-rule game two.
WPI (10-6, 2-2 NEWMAC) never relented in the first game of the day as the Lions (10-8, 2-2) eked out the first game holding off WPI in the seventh inning, before the Engineers turned on the jets in game two, finishing with nine hits while
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) brought home a one-hitter in the rout.
Boldebuck allowed just one hit in the final inning of action, coming an out away from the five-inning, no-hitter to pick up her sixth victory of the year. The shut out was the Engineers' fifth of the season and WPI earned its fourth run-rule victory of 2025.
Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) finished the second game of the day with a 2-for-2 effort scoring two runs of her own while driving in three more.
Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) and
Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) also added two-hit efforts in the game with Nagy scoring and driving in a run and Fairbairn touching the plate twice while also driving in a pair.
GAME ONE
WPI got on the board first in the third inning of action as
Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) kicked things off with a triple to right centerfield. Despite a strikeout by Fairbairn in the next at bat, Fairbairn forced the drop third strike throw to first which gave McKinney the opportunity to score and help WPI take a 1-0 lead.
However, Emerson bounced back in the bottom half of the frame putting up a pair of runs on the board and added another run, the deciding run, in the bottom of the fourth.
Izzi Shaffer (Tyngsborough, MA) also started the inning off with a triple, scoring on an infield ground out to take a 3-1 advantage.
WPI netted a pair of hits in the fifth and another in the sixth, but was unable to get on the board until the seventh inning when Nagy roped a two-out homer to left field to bring WPI within a run. But the Emerson pitching got the final out of the game to hang on for the win.
GAME TWO
In the second game of the day, WPI came out swinging putting a trio of runs on the board in both the first and second innings of the day. Latour and McKinney drew back-to-back walks to begin things in the first inning and Latour came around to score one batter later on a
Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) ground rule double to take a 1-0 lead. Nagy followed that with a double of her own to bring home McKinney and Nagy touched the plate on an Emerson error to make it a 3-0 game.
In the second inning,
Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) began things with a single to left field and moved up a base on an infield single by Fairbairn. A Latour double to center brought both baserunners home and forced a pitching change. Latour kept things going by taking third base and came around to score on a throwing error for the 6-0 advantage.
In the third inning, WPI added on another pair of runs as
Colleen Mayer (Hillsborough, NJ) started things off with a walk moved up to second after an Emerson miscue and over to third on a fielder's choice from Jordan. Jordan drew the throw to second in the next at bat to allow Mayer to score as Fairbairn reached on a fielder's choice. Fairbairn took second and got herself in scoring position, taking advantage of a Latour single to center, bringing the total to 8-0, advantage Engineers.
In the fifth, WPI added another run to the total as Mayer came home on a Fairbairn single up the middle for the 9-0 lead.
Boldebuck quickly got the Lions down to one final out before
Carly Rosenberger (Conshohocken, PA) played spoiler with a single to right center to rob the WPI hurler of the no-hit bid before Boldebuck immediately shut things down in the next at bat to come away with the shut out victory.
UP NEXT
WPI heads back to the field with a pair of games against Brandeis on Friday, April 4 beginning at 3:30pm. Note: The games moved to Friday from the originally scheduled Saturday slate. Emerson will return to more NEWMAC action this weekend with a pair of games against Coast Guard on Saturday, April 5 at 1pm.
