Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WORCESTER -- The nationally-ranked WPI softball team closed out the regular season with a NEWMAC doubleheader sweep of Clark on Saturday at O'Brien Field, earning a 7-3 victory in the opener before rolling to a 14-7 win in game two. The Engineers improve to 38-2 (19-1 NEWMAC), while the Cougars finish their season at 15-22 (4-16 NEWMAC).
 
Now with 38 wins on the season, the Crimson and Gray, ranked fourth nationally in the latest NPI rankings and 15th in the NFCA Top 25, equaled the school record for victories in a season with the 2015-16 squad, which captured the NEWMAC regular season and tournament titles and reached the NCAA Super Regionals.
 
Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) led the Engineers with six hits and four RBI across the doubleheader, while Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) drove in four runs and Liz Jordan (Yardley, PA) added four hits in the sweep.
 
Game One
WPI used a strong opening inning and timely power to secure a 7-3 victory in the opener.
 
Latour led the Engineers with three hits, two runs scored, and two RBI, while Fairbairn added two hits including a home run and three RBI. Stella Kozak (Auburn, NH) chipped in a two-RBI single, and Colleen Mayer (Hillsborough, NJ) recorded a hit and scored a run.
 
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) earned the win with a complete-game effort, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five.
 
Clark was led by Madison Dillon (Rocky Hill, CT), who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Avery Della Piana (Tewksbury, MA) added a hit and an RBI. Brooke Buzzeo (Trumbull, CT) took the loss.
 
WPI struck first with three runs in the opening inning as Fairbairn delivered an RBI double before Kozak followed with a two-run single.
 
After Clark responded with two runs in the bottom half, Fairbairn extended the lead with a solo home run in the third. Latour added another solo shot in the fifth to make it 5-2.
 
Clark pulled within two in the fifth, but WPI added insurance in the seventh as Latour delivered an RBI single and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Fairbairn to seal the win.
 
Game Two
The Engineers broke things open with multi-run innings throughout to complete the sweep with a 14-7 victory.
 
Latour again paced the offense with three hits and two RBI, while Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Jordan added a 4-for-4 performance with two RBI, and Ariana Kreuzer (Walpole, MA) recorded three hits and an RBI. Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, MA) chipped in two hits and an RBI, and Kozak added a hit and an RBI.
 
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) earned the win, allowing seven runs on 11 hits over seven innings.
 
Clark was led by Felicia Salvati (Naugatuck, CT), who went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Avery Dillon (Bethany, CT) added two hits and an RBI. Megan Dube (Leominster, MA) took the loss.
 
Clark jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first before WPI responded with three runs in the second to take the lead. The Cougars answered with three runs in the third to regain a 5-3 advantage.
 
WPI took control in the fourth, scoring four runs highlighted by an RBI single from Fairbairn and capitalizing on Clark miscues to move ahead for good.
 
The Engineers added three more in the fifth, including a two-run home run from Nagy, and continued to tack on runs in the sixth and seventh, highlighted by a solo home run from Latour and RBI hits from Jordan and Kreuzer.
 
As the number one seed, WPI will host the 2026 NEWMAC Tournament at Rooftop Field, with semifinal action set to begin on May 6.
 
Game 1 Box Score
 
Game 2 Box Score