WORCESTER -- Second-seeded No. 25 MIT defeated top-seeded and No. 12 WPI, 8-5, in Game 9 of the NEWMAC Softball Tournament on Friday afternoon at Rooftop Field. The MIT Engineers improved to 33-7 and remain unbeaten in the tournament, while WPI falls to 39-3 and moves into the elimination bracket.
MIT used a pair of three-run innings in the fourth and sixth to build separation, totaling 14 hits on the afternoon and holding off a late push from WPI.
Delaney Benevides (Plainville, MA) led MIT with a 4-for-4 performance and an RBI, while
Layla Thiessen (Carlsbad, CA) added three hits and a run driven in.
Lauren Sundquist (Gladstone, MI) drove in two runs, and
Ava Ladd (Austin, TX) also plated a pair to pace the Engineers' offense.
Sharona Huang (Duluth, GA) earned the win in relief, allowing two runs on four hits over 4.2 innings, while
Sarah Blackett (St. Petersburg, FL) recorded the save with 2.1 innings to close out the game.
Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) led WPI with two hits and an RBI, while
Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) added a home run and a pair of runs scored.
Ali Chalovich (Pittsburgh, PA) delivered a two-run homer in the sixth, and
Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, NY) drove in two runs.
Naomi Boldebuck (Billerica, MA) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits over 3.1 innings.
Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) provided 3.2 innings of relief, allowing three runs.
MIT struck first with two runs in the second inning, then extended the lead to 5-0 with a three-run fourth highlighted by a two-run double from Ladd.
WPI got on the board in the fourth on an RBI groundout by O'Brien and added another in the fifth when Latour doubled home a run to cut the deficit to 5-2.
MIT answered again in the sixth, scoring three runs on four hits, including a two-run single from Sundquist and an RBI double by
Arianna Kumar (San Diego, CA), to push the lead to 8-2.
The Engineers mounted a late rally in the bottom of the sixth as Chalovich launched a two-run home run and O'Brien added a sacrifice fly, trimming the deficit to 8-5. Nagy added a solo home run in the seventh, but MIT closed out the game to secure the win.
MIT advances to Saturday's winners bracket game at 12:00pm at WPI. The Crimson and Gray will face No. 7 Coast Guard in an elimination game at 10:00am after the Bears bounced No. 4 Babson and No. 3 from the tournament earlier in the day. The winner will advance to face MIT, and if WPI or Coast Guard wins twice, the teams will meet again on Sunday at 1:00pm for the NEWMAC title.
