Box Score Cambridge, MA --- A four-run fifth inning was the deciding factor in the WPI softball team's 10-8 victory over Springfield to stay alive in the NEWMAC Championship on Thursday afternoon. 
 
The Engineers' offense resurfaced in the elimination game as WPI (25-15) picked up its 25th victory of the year for the first time since the 2022 season. Naomi Boldebuck, (Billerica, MA) took charge in the first three innings of action allowing a pair of runs before Sofia Knopf (Plymouth, MA) stepped in in the fourth. After Springfield (30-13) regained the lead, Boldebuck came back into the game and shut down the Springfield offense to help WPI to the victory. Boldebuck finished with seven innings of action, allowing 11 hits and five earned runs while striking out three in the win, her 17th of the year. 
 
Ariana Kreuzer (Walpole, MA) led the way on the offensive front with a 3-for-4 outing, scoring a run while Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, scoring two runs and driving in a pair. 
 
The Engineers were the first to get on the board in the top of the first after a Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) walk to start off the innings. Latour moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt from Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) and came around to score on a Springfield throwing miscue for the 1-0 lead. 
 
After the Pride evened the score in the bottom half of the inning, WPI regained the lead as Kreuzer netted the first of her three hits with a single to right, moving all the way to third on another throwing error and then came home on a sacrifice fly from Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) for the 2-1 lead. 
 
Springfield came up big in the third inning putting up three runs to gain a 4-2 lead, but once again the Engineers answered back, this time with a four run top of the fourth. Nagy blasted a solo shot to center to start things off followed by a Kreuzer infield single. Jordan followed with a bunt single and a wild pitch moved the runners up one more base. A single to center from Latour brought in a pair of runs and Latour moved all the way to third on the play, scoring one batter later to help WPI gain a 6-4 lead. 
 
But in this back and forth affair, Springfield once again regained the lead after a three run shot from Callie Gendron (Berlin, CT). But WPI would not be deterred as the team answered back in the fifth with another four run inning. 
 
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) began the inning with a single to left center and moved over to third after Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) reached on an error. A double down the leftfield line from Nagy drove in a run and moved Fairbairn to third where, in the next at bat, she scored on a wild pitch. Sherwood followed that up with a double to right center that drove in Nagy, giving WPI a 9-7 lead and prompting a pitching change. 
 
Following the warmup, Latour followed with a single to left center that brought home Sherwood and gave the Engineers a 10-7 advantage. 

Springfield threatened in the final three innings of action, but Boldebuck was able to shut them down allowing just one run in the bottom of the seventh as WPI hung on and advanced to their next game of the tournament.
 
WPI will move quickly on to face Wheaton once again at 3pm in yet another NEWMAC Championship Tournament game with the winner set to face either MIT or Babson on Saturday, May 10 at noon.