Clermont, FL --- The WPI softball team extended its unbeaten start with a pair of wins on Friday at THE Spring Games. The Engineers defeated Western New England (4-6), 6-4, in the opener before topping Nichols (4-6), 7-3, in the afternoon game to improve to 6-0 on the season.
 
Eight different Engineers recorded a hit and drove in a run between the two games as WPI's balanced offense carried them to a sweep.
 
Game One
WPI used its power to rally past Western New England for a 6-4 victory in the opener.
 
Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) led the Engineers with two hits including a solo home run and two RBI, while Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) added two hits and a stolen base. Colleen Mayer (Hillsborough, NJ) launched a two-run homer, and Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) and Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) each added solo shots as WPI collected nine hits.
 
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) earned the win in relief, tossing six shutout innings while allowing five hits and striking out three.
 
Western New England was led by Shea McDaniel (Seymour, CT), who delivered a two-run single, while Ava Barnhart (Clifton Park, NY) added an RBI single. Brianna Cardona (Stamford, CT) took the loss for the Golden Bears.
 
WPI struck first in the opening inning when Nagy singled through the left side to score Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) for a 1-0 lead.
 
Western New England answered with four runs in the second inning. Alyssa Ferriouolo (North Haven, CT) forced in a run after being hit by a pitch before McDaniel lined a two-run single to give the Golden Bears the lead. Barnhart followed with an RBI single to extend the advantage to 4-1.
 
The Engineers quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning when Mayer launched a two-run homer down the right-field line to cut the deficit to 4-3.
 
WPI tied the contest in the fifth when Nagy blasted a solo home run to left center before O'Brien followed later in the inning with a solo shot to center field to give the Engineers a 5-4 lead.
 
Fairbairn added insurance in the sixth with a solo homer to left field.
 
Merchant closed the door from there, keeping the Golden Bears scoreless over the final six innings to secure the victory.
 
Game Two
The Engineers used a five-run second inning to pull away and defeat Nichols, 7-3, to complete the sweep.
 
Latour paced the WPI offense with two hits including an RBI triple and two runs scored, while O'Brien also recorded two hits. Sherwood and Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) each added RBI singles for the Engineers.
 
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) earned the complete-game victory, allowing three runs (one earned) on 10 hits while striking out two.
 
Nichols was led by Sydney Hicks (Windsor, CT) and Bailey Littlefield (Saco, ME), who each recorded two hits. Samantha Lombardi (East Greenwich, RI) drove in the Bison's lone RBI with a sacrifice fly. Molly Medor (Highgate, VT) took the loss.
 
WPI broke the game open with five runs in the second inning. Sherwood singled to center to drive in a run before advancing to third on an error that allowed Ali Chalovich (Pittsburgh, PA) and O'Brien to score. Jordan followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
 
Later in the inning, Nagy reached on an error that allowed Latour and Jordan to score, pushing the lead to 5-0.
 
Nichols got on the board in the third when Lombardi lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Emily Iannuccilli (Johnston, RI).
 
The Engineers added two more runs in the fourth. Latour tripled to right center to score Fairbairn before Destiny Lum (Kahalu?u, HI) delivered a sacrifice fly to bring Latour home and extend the lead to 7-1.
 
Nichols plated single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but Boldebuck worked through the final frames to secure the complete-game win.
 
WPI continues play at THE Spring Games on Saturday with games against Loras at 9:00 am and Alverno at 1:30 pm, both in Kissimmee. Western New England returns to action Saturday against Simpson and Wisconsin-Stout, while Nichols opens conference play on March 21 with a doubleheader against Suffolk.
 
Game 1 Box Score
 
Game 2 Box Score