Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WORCESTER -- The No. 15 WPI softball team swept a NEWMAC doubleheader from Springfield on Friday afternoon at Rooftop Field, rallying for a 7-6 walk-off victory in the opener before completing the sweep with a 9-6 win in game two. The wins secured the 2026 NEWMAC regular-season title for the Engineers, marking the program's seventh regular season crown and first since 2019.
 
Friday's doubleheader also served as WPI's NFCA Strikeout Cancer game, highlighted by a ceremonial first pitch thrown by the Associate Athletic Director Ann McCaron, a two-time breast cancer survivor.
 
The Engineers improve to 36-2 (17-1 NEWMAC), while the Pride fall to 23-12 (12-6 NEWMAC). WPI has now clinched the top seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
 
The Crimson and Gray combined for 16 runs on 24 hits across the two contests, highlighted by a late-game rally in the opener and a decisive five-run fifth inning in game two. Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) delivered the game-winning hit in game one and totaled five hits on the day, while Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) homered in both contests.
 
Game One
WPI rallied from a four-run deficit to secure a 7-6 walk-off victory in the opener.
 
Latour led the Engineers with two hits, including the game-winning RBI single in the ninth. Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) added three hits and an RBI, while Nagy went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) chipped in a home run and scored three times.
 
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) earned the win in relief, tossing six innings while allowing one unearned run and striking out five after entering in the fourth inning. Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) started and allowed five runs over the first three innings.
 
Springfield was paced by Emilia Santiago (West Hartford, CT), who recorded two hits and an RBI, while Haley Ball (Westbrook, ME) added two hits and an RBI. Amelia DeRosa (Miller Place, NY) took the loss despite a complete-game effort.
 
Springfield jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning on a series of extra-base hits and a WPI error. The Pride extended the advantage to 5-1 in the fourth before WPI began to chip away.
 
Nagy sparked the comeback with a solo home run in the second before adding an RBI double in the fourth. Fairbairn launched a solo shot in the sixth, and the Engineers tied the game in the seventh on RBI hits from Sherwood and McKinney.
 
After Springfield briefly regained the lead in the eighth, Stella Kozak (Auburn, NH) delivered a game-tying RBI single. Latour then completed the comeback in the ninth with a walk-off single to center field.
 
Game Two
The Engineers used a five-run fifth inning to pull away for a 9-6 victory and complete the sweep.
 
Latour led the offense with three hits and three runs scored, while Fairbairn added three hits including a triple and an RBI. Nagy contributed a home run and an RBI, and Ali Chalovich (Pittsburgh, PA) launched a two-run homer as part of a two-hit performance. Kozak added two RBI, and Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) drove in a run.
 
Boldebuck earned the win in relief, allowing two runs over three innings, while Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI) started and allowed four runs over the first four innings.
 
Springfield was led by DeRosa, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, while Sammy Swords (Plano, TX) added a two-run homer. Julia Rimshnick (Staten Island, NY) took the loss.
 
Springfield took early leads in the first and third innings, but WPI answered in the third with a two-run single from McKinney to tie the game.
 
After the Pride moved back in front in the fourth, Nagy cut the deficit to 4-3 with a solo home run.
 
The Engineers then broke the game open in the fifth. O'Brien and Kozak delivered RBI singles before Chalovich blasted a two-run home run to give WPI an 8-4 advantage.
 
Springfield pulled within 8-6 in the sixth on a two-run homer from Swords, but Fairbairn answered with an RBI triple in the bottom half to provide insurance.
 
Both teams close out the regular season with Saturday doubleheaders. WPI plays a pair at Clark beginning at noon, while Springfield hosts Babson, also at noon.
 
Game 1 Box Score
 
Game 2 Box Score