For Immediate Release
April 19, 2008
Wellesley Sports Information
Wellesley Softball Earns Top Seed in NEWMAC Playoffs with Sweep of WPI
Game One Box
Game Two Box
WELLESLEY, Mass. - The Wellesley College softball team swept New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) rival Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday afternoon. Wellesley took game one 8-0 in five innings and won game two 11-3 in six innings. The wins clinched the number-one seed for Wellesley in the upcoming NEWMAC playoffs.
After an emotional senior day celebration honoring the first-four year class in the history of Wellesley softball, senior hurler Jenna Harvey (London, Ontario) took the mound and fired a no-hitter for the Blue. Harvey, who moved to 13-2 on the season, struck out 15 of the 19 batters she faced, for her fourth hitless game this season.
All of Wellesley's offense came in the first two innings of the game. In the bottom of the first, first-year Alison Davis (Glen Ellyn, IL) led off the inning with a single to center field. After senior catcher Kara Wong (Milford, MA) was hit by a pitch, sophomore Megan Wood (Jacksonville, FL) belted three-run homerun deep over the left field fence.
The Blue exploded for five more runs in the bottom of the second inning to take an 8-0 lead. Wellesley put two runners on base after singles from senior Alex Coari (Geneva, IL) and sophomore Ilana Orloff (Weston, MA) and then scored two on a single from Wong. After back-to-back walks from Wood and sophomore Shawna McCreadie (Des Plaines, IL), senior Meghan Sullivan (Markam, Ontario) laced a double into center field to plate two more runs for the Blue.
WPI threatened in the top of the fourth inning after Nicole DeCampo (Stoneham, MA) and Jen Richards (Hampstead, NH) both reached on walks. Sara Migdal (Galway, NY) reached on a fielder's choice to place runners on first and third with two outs, but Harvey got a strikeout to end the inning for WPI.
Wellesley's 8-0 lead would hold as final in game one.
In the nightcap, Wellesley plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning off of a sacrifice fly from Wong and a single from McCreadie.
The Blue pushed the lead to 3-0 in the bottom half of the second inning with Sullivan and Coari leading off with back-to-back singles and Amanda Tai (Melrose, MA) driving in the third run of the game on a groundout.
WPI got their offense going in the top of the third inning and battled back to tie the game at 3-3. Pitcher Lindsay Brown (Westfield, NJ) led off the inning with a single to center field. After Briana Dougherty (Woburn, MA) reached on a fielder's choice, Nicole Maglione walked and DeCampo loaded the bases with an infield hit. Richards lined a pitch between third and short on the next at bat, but Wellesley short stop Coari made a leaping catch, saving two runs for the Blue. However, WPI continued their hot-hitting with back-to-back singles from Migdal and Kim Martilla (Kings Park, NY) that scored three runs for the Engineers.
The Blue answered back with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning extending the lead back to 6-3. Harvey and McCreadie reached on singles before Sullivan took first on a WPI miscue that loaded the bases. With the bases loaded, Wellesley scored off another WPI error. Tai then knocked in two more runs for the Blue on a single to right field.
In the fourth inning, Wellesley's Wong led off with a double to right and Wood reached on a single. McCreadie knocked in a run on a groundout to short stop while Wellesley scored their eighth run of the game on a sac fly from Harvey.
The Blue ended the game with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning. Tai reached on a single and stole second before Davis hit her home with a single to center field. After Orloff reached on an infield single, Wood doubled to left-center field to plate the final two runs of the game.
Gola got the win for Wellesley throwing five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five.
Leading the offense for the Engineers, Dougherty picked up two hits in the game while Martilla added two RBI and Megdal knocked in one run.
WPI ends the regular season with a 14-20 overall record and a 3-13 mark in NEWMAC play.
Wellesley improves to 24-6-1 on the season, with a 13-3 mark in the NEWMAC. The Blue clinched the top-seed in the NEWMAC tournament and will play host to the NEWMAC Championships. Play begins on Wednesday, April 23rd with first-round games being played at Wellesley and at Wheaton.