Kissimmee, FL --- The WPI softball team continued its strong start with a pair of wins on Saturday at THE Spring Games. The Engineers edged Loras (10-4), 3-0, in eight innings in the opener before erupting for a 15-7 victory over Alverno (0-3) in the afternoon game to improve to 8-0 on the season.
Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) delivered the decisive blow in game one with an extra-inning home run, while
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) led the offensive outburst in game two with a home run and two RBI as the Engineers totaled 18 runs across the doubleheader.
Game One
A pitcher's duel between WPI and Loras remained scoreless through seven innings before the Engineers broke through in the eighth to claim a 3-0 victory.
Latour provided the breakthrough with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth that scored
Colleen Mayer (Hillsborough, NJ) and gave WPI the lead. Later in the inning,
Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) singled to third base to bring home
Suzannah Figler (Baltimore, MD) for an insurance run.
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) was dominant in the circle, tossing a complete-game shutout. She allowed eight hits over eight innings while striking out six to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) led WPI with two hits, including a double, while
Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) also added a double.
Loras was led by
Kaili Henning (Fort Dodge, IA) and
Gillian Jones (Mokena, IL), who each collected two hits. Henning took the loss despite striking out 10 batters over 7.2 innings.
Game Two
The Engineers exploded for eight runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 15-7 win over Alverno in a five-inning contest.
Fairbairn opened the scoring with an RBI triple down the left-field line before later crossing the plate on a passed ball. WPI continued to pile on as
Ali Chalovich (Pittsburgh, PA) and
Suzannah Figler (Baltimore, MD) were each hit by pitches with the bases loaded, forcing in runs.
Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) contributed a sacrifice fly and later added another RBI on a triple, while Jordan drove in a run with a single to cap the eight-run frame.
WPI added four more runs in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run home run from O'Brien and Sherwood's RBI triple. The Engineers extended the lead to 13-0 in the third before adding additional runs in the fourth and fifth.
Alverno rallied with seven runs in the fourth inning, including RBI hits from
Hailie Eschbach (Kenosha, WI),
Nadya Hudson (Milwaukee, WI),
Alyssa Hubli (Kenosha, WI), and
Mac Gardner (Eagle Lake First Nation, ON), but the Engineers responded with another run in the fourth and a Latour RBI single in the fifth to end the game.
O'Brien finished with two hits and two RBI, while Sherwood drove in two runs and Fairbairn and Jordan each added RBI as part of the balanced offensive effort.
Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) earned the win after pitching the first three innings.
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) worked the final two scoreless innings in relief.
WPI has wrapped up play at THE Spring Games and returns to action on Thursday, March 26 with a doubleheader at Worcester State beginning at 4:00 pm. Loras travels to Monmouth for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 21, while Alverno continues its spring break trip with games against Bates and Ursinus on Sunday.
