Babson Park, MA ---
Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) and
Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) combined for six hits in the nightcap as nationally-ranked WPI responded from its first lost of the season earlier in the day with a 7-2 victory over host Babson in the second game of Friday's NEWMAC doubleheader at Alumni Field. The Beavers had rallied from an early deficit to deal the No. 22 Engineers its first defeat, 3-2, in the opener. The setback in the opener snapped the Crimson and Gray's school-record 20-game winning streak.
WPI is 21-1 overall and 7-1 in the NEWMAC while Babson is now 10-14 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
Game 1: Babson 3, WPI 2
Emily Walsh (Flemington, NJ) went 3-for-3 with an RBI and triple and a run scored, sophomores
Samantha Skivo (Conshohocken, PA) and
Maddy DeLong (Cranford, NJ) both doubled and junior
Lexi Sealey (Pleasant Hill, CA) added an RBI single as seven different players recorded a hit for the Beavers. Topel allowed scattered eight hits, struck out one and walked none to improve to 3-4 on the year with a complete-game effort in the circle.
Junior
Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, McKinney tripled and scored, and fellow junior
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) suffered her first loss of the year to drop to 7-1 after giving up three runs on nine hits to go along with three strikeouts and three walks over six innings for the Engineers.
WPI got off to a quick start as McKinney tripled to deep center and scored on a base hit to center by Fairbairn one batter later for a 1-0 lead. Fairbairn stole second and moved to third on a ground about before scoring on Nagy's sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Walsh led off the bottom of the first with a single to left and came around to score on Sealey's one-out knock two batters later, cutting the Babson deficit to 2-1. Topel worked out of trouble in the second and then allowed just one base runner through the middle innings before the hosts scratched out a pair of runs to go in front for good in the last of the fifth.
First-year
Charly Landow (Wayne, PA) led off the inning with a single and Walsh ripped the first pitch she saw down the right field line for an RBI triple to make it 2-2. DeLong beat out a bunt single and headed for second, which allowed Walsh to race home when the throw down bounced away from the centerfielder McKinney putting the Green and White ahead 3-2.
Topel induced a ground out to end the sixth with WPI runners on first and second and then worked around a two-out single by sophomore
Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) in the seventh to finish off the victory.
Game 2: WPI 7, Babson 2
Junior
Charlotte Raymond (Wrentham, MA) went 3-for-3 with an RBI and sophomore
Belle DiCampello (Pottstown, PA) singled twice and scored a run for the Beavers, who finished with eight hits. Junior
Katie Vlacich (Concord, NH) shouldered the loss after giving up four runs on five hits over three innings.
Nagy was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two runs scored, McKinney went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, and Latour doubled twice and knocked in a run to lead WPI's 15-hit attack. First-year
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) improved to 12-0 in the circle allowing two runs, both unearned, while striking out three over 7.0 innings.
The Engineers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Nagy smashed a ball off the top of the wall in center and raced around for an inside the park home run. The Engineers doubled their advantage thanks to a Fairbairn sacrifice fly in the third, and got a pinch-hit RBI single from
Ariana Kreuzer (Walpole, MA) and an RBI double from Latour in the fourth to extend their cushion to 4-0.
Babson stranded six runners on base over the first four innings before getting on the board with a pair of runs with two outs in the fifth. Raymond singled to center to bring home Sealey and junior
Devin McCall (Virginia Beach, VA) with an RBI knock back up the middle to plate DiCampello cutting the deficit to 4-2.
WPI answered right back in the top of the sixth though, getting RBI singles from McKinney, junior
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) and first-year
Ali Chalovich (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to extend the margin to 7-2.
Both teams are set for another doubleheader on Saturday as Babson travels to Emerson at 1pm., while WPI hosts Coast Guard beginning at noon. The doubleheader will be the Engineers annual Alumnae Day which will honor members of the 2016 NEWMAC championship team.
Release Courtesy Babson Sports Information
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score