WORCESTER -- The WPI softball team extended its unbeaten start and celebrated a milestone afternoon as head coach Heather Ross recorded her 200th career victory in the opener of a doubleheader sweep against Emmanuel on Tuesday at Rooftop Field.

The Engineers, who are receiving votes in the latest NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 defeated the Saints 8-0 before completing the sweep with a 12-4 victory. WPI improves to 14-0, continuing its program-best start to the season, while Emmanuel falls to 6-16.
 
Ross, who began her career with 84 victories in a six-year stint at Lesley, is 117-72-1 in her fifth year on Boynton Hill.
 
The Crimson and Gray totaled 16 runs on 16 hits across the two games, with a balanced offensive effort and two strong pitching performances between the two five inning games.
 
Game One
WPI used steady offense and a dominant pitching performance to earn an 8-0 run-rule victory in the opener.
 
Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) led the Engineers at the plate with a home run and two RBI, while Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) added a double and two RBI, and Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA), Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) and Elizabeth Jordan (Yardley, PA) each drove in a run as WPI collected nine hits.
 
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) earned the win, tossing a complete-game two-hit shutout with three strikeouts and one walk to improve to 7-0 on the season.
 
Emmanuel was limited offensively, with Mekayla Poisson (Peabody, MA) and Olivia DeMacedo (Rumford, RI) accounting for the Saints' two hits. Carmen Crockett (Buckfield, ME) took the loss, allowing eight runs, seven earned, over 4.1 innings.
 
WPI struck first in the opening inning as Fairbairn launched a solo home run to left-center. The Engineers added two runs in the third on an RBI groundout by Fairbairn and an RBI single from O'Brien to make it 3-0.
 
The lead grew in the fourth when Latour singled home Sherwood, and WPI put the game away with a four-run fifth inning. McKinney delivered an RBI single before Sherwood doubled home two runs, and Jordan capped the scoring with an RBI single to secure the run-rule victory.
 
Game Two
The Engineers completed the sweep with a 12-4 victory, using a seven-run third inning to break the game open.
 
Destiny Lum (Kahalu?u, HI) led the offense with two hits, two RBI and two runs scored, while Fairbairn added a two-run double. Latour drove in two runs and scored once, and McKinney and Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) each contributed to the scoring effort as WPI capitalized on opportunities throughout the game.
 
Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) earned the win in the circle, allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits while striking out five over five innings.
 
Emmanuel was paced by Grace Garon (Charlton, MA), who doubled and drove in two runs, while Mia Fernandes (Taunton, MA) and Francesca Pizzarella (Millis, MA) each scored during a three-run third inning. Poisson took the loss after allowing six runs in 2.1 innings.
 
Emmanuel struck first in the opening inning as Rylee Smith (Emerson, NJ) drove in a run on a fielder's choice, but WPI responded quickly as Lum delivered an RBI single before stealing home to give the Engineers a 2-1 lead.
 
After adding two more runs in the second, WPI broke the game open in the third. The Engineers capitalized on errors and timely hitting, scoring seven runs highlighted by a two-run single from Latour and a two-run double from Fairbairn to extend the lead to 11-4.
 
WPI added one more run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Stella Kozak (Auburn, NH), and Barr closed out the game by limiting Emmanuel's offense over the final two innings.
 
WPI returns to action on Friday with a NEWMAC at home against Wheaton at 3:30pm. Emmanuel hosts Worcester State for a doubleheader on Thursday at 5:00pm in Boston.