Waltham, MA --- The # 22 WPI softball team swept a non-conference doubleheader at Brandeis on Wednesday afternoon, defeating the Judges 10-2 in five innings in the opener and 14-5 in game two at Marcus Field. The Engineers improve to 20-0 on the season, while Brandeis moves to 16-10.
 
The sweep pushed head coach Heather Ross to her fifth consecutive 20-win season and marked the program's 11th straight 20-win campaign in a full year of competition.
 
WPI combined for 24 runs on 28 hits across the two games, powered by three homeruns from Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) and two each from Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, NY) and Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA).
 
Game One
WPI used an early offensive surge to cruise to a 10-2 run-rule victory in the opener.
 
O'Brien led the Engineers, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Fairbairn collected three hits including a three-run homer. Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) added two hits and a solo home run, and Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) chipped in two hits and an RBI. Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) earned the win, tossing a complete game with five hits allowed, two runs, and six strikeouts.
 
Brandeis was paced by Katie Baydian (Massapequa, NY), who drove in a run with a single, while Bells Burdenski (San Diego, CA) added a solo home run. Madeline Jennings (New York, NY) took the loss after allowing eight runs in the first inning.
 
The Engineers struck immediately, as O'Brien delivered a two-run single in the first before Stella Kozak (Auburn, NH) added an RBI single to make it 3-0.
 
WPI broke the game open in the second. McKinney drove in a run with a single before Fairbairn launched a three-run homer and O'Brien followed with a solo shot to extend the lead to 8-0.
 
Latour added a solo home run in the third, and Nagy brought home another run with an RBI single as the Engineers built a 10-1 advantage. Brandeis scored single runs in the second and fourth, but Boldebuck limited further damage to secure the win.
 
Game Two
The Engineers erased an early deficit and pulled away late to complete the sweep with a 14-5 victory.
 
McKinney led the offensive explosion, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI. O'Brien added two hits including two home runs and four RBI, while Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) contributed three hits and an RBI. Fairbairn added a home run as part of WPI's five-homer effort.
 
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) earned the win, allowing four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts over five innings. Boldebuck added two innings of relief, allowing one run while striking out two.
 
Brandeis was led by Jordan Wallace (Howell, NJ), who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Erin Hunt (Wake Forest, NC) recorded three hits and scored twice. Ragini Kannan (Westford, MA) took the loss after allowing 12 runs over 6.1 innings.
 
The Judges jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning behind RBI singles from Wallace, Burdenski, and Dylan Yamamura (Newbury Park, CA).
 
WPI responded in the third as O'Brien launched a two-run home run to tie the game. Sherwood followed with an RBI single in the fourth to give the Engineers the lead, and O'Brien added another solo homer in the fifth to make it 5-3.
 
The Engineers extended the advantage in the sixth with back-to-back home runs from McKinney and Fairbairn. After Brandeis pulled within three, WPI broke the game open in the seventh. Kozak delivered a sacrifice fly before McKinney capped the rally with a grand slam to push the lead to 14-5.
 
WPI returns to action on Friday with a NEWMAC doubleheader at Babson beginning at 3:00pm. Brandeis returns UAA play on Friday, kicking off a three-game series at Carnegie Mellon.
 
Game 1 Box Score
 
Game 2 Box Score