WORCESTER -- In a pair of nail biters, the WPI softball team dropped a duo of games to Babson on Thursday afternoon. The doubleheader, originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, was moved due to potential bad weather conditions. 
 
The Engineers (22-14, 11-7 NEWMAC) are still in the top four of the NEWMAC standings despite the losses while Babson (24-13, 14-6) wrapped up its regular season by jumping Springfield in the standings to second place. 
 
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) pitched all seven innings of the first game, allowing 10 hits and just two earned runs while striking out five in the game, allowing just her fourth loss of the season. Sofia Knopf (Plymouth, MA) got the start in game two pitching 6.1 innings of action, allowing 12 hits and seven earned runs while Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) stepped in to claim the last two outs of the game. 
 
WPI mustered just three hits in the first game of the day while a pair of sacrifice hits from Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) and Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) helped net the Engineers' two runs of the game. In the second game, O'Brien and Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) each registered a pair of hits. Nagy finished with two doubles, and RBI and a run scored. 
 
GAME ONE 
After three scoreless innings, Babson opened the scoring in the fourth with a two run inning as a Ruby Madia (Princeton Junction, NJ) single to right brought home a pair of runs. In the fifth, Babson added the eventual game winner as Sara Moore (Kennett Square, PA) singled to start things and small balled her way around the bases for a 3-0 advantage. 
 
WPI got themselves on the board in the bottom of the sixth as Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) started things off with a single to left, moving a base over after a Babson miscue. A fielder's choice loaded the bases and O'Brien erased the shut out bid with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to bring home WPI's first run of the game. 
 
In the seventh, down to their final three outs, Nagy began things, legging out a dropped fly by the Babson shortstop, getting herself all the way to second on the play. Suzannah Figler (Baltimore, MD) replaced her on the basepaths, moving to third on a single to right from pinch hitter Colleen Mayer (Hillsborough, NJ). 
 
A squeeze resulted in the second run of the game, as Jordan laid down the sacrifice to bring Figler across the plate, and advance Mayer to second. But WPI would not be able to muster another run as Babson hung on for the 3-2 win. 
 
GAME TWO 
In the second game of the day, it was another tough battle. Babson once again got on top first, this time with a pair of runs in the first inning of action. 
 
In the second, WPI evened the score with a pair of two-out runs. Nagy began with a double to right field followed by a bunt single by Jordan that advanced Nagy to third, and she was able to come across on a throwing error by Babson for the first run of the game. After Ariana Kreuzer (Walpole, MA) walked to put runners on first and second, Sherwood ripped a double to left field to bring home another run and even things at two-all. 
 
In the third, Babson piled on a pair of runs, but WPI answered back in the bottom half of the frame, again with a pair of two-out runs. First O'Brien launched a solo shot to left centerfield to make it a 4-3 game, and then after Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) walked and stole second, Nagy rocketed a double to right center to bring home the game tying run. 
 
WPI gained its first lead of the day in the fifth inning. Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) started things off by drawing and walk and one batter later came around to score on a Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) double to gain a 5-4 lead. 
 
But in the sixth, Babson was, once again, able to even the score and in the seventh, the decisive three-run shot from Madia created the largest separation of the game. In the bottom half of the frame, WPI threatened as Mia Francisco (Hudson, NH) earned the Engineers' sixth run of the game, but that was as close as they would get, falling 8-6. 
 
UP NEXT 
WPI will close out the regular season on Friday, May 2 when the Engineers head to Wheaton for a doubleheader that kicks off at 3 pm. With today's games, Babson has concluded its regular season action and will await its seeding in the NEWMAC Tournament after the conclusion of play Saturday afternoon.