NORTON, Mass. -  Two late-inning rallies led the Wellesley College softball team to a NEWMAC doubleheader sweep over Wheaton on Sunday at Clark Field.  The Blue recorded a 6-2 win in the opener and won, 4-2 in the nightcap. The wins improve Wellesley to 10-7 overall with a 6-1 NEWMAC mark.  The Lyons are now 11-15 overall and 2-6 in NEWMAC play.

Wellesley scored first in the opener, as junior Megan Wood (Jacksonville, FL) singled with one down in the second inning and eventually took third on a double steal before coming home on classmate Alex Warren's (Delta, British Columbia) sacrifice fly.
 
The Lyons got the run back in the home half, as sophomore Rachel Merrick (Methuen, MA) launched a two-out solo homer down the left field line for her second career dinger. In the fourth, senior Stacey Kelleher (Brockton, MA) singled with one down before finding the plate after sophomore Nicole DeRosa (Greenwich, CT) sent a double into the right center gap beyond diving first-year center fielder Jessie Haladyna (Saints Johns, FL).
 
Freshman hurler Mary Fay (Stoughton, MA) was critical to Wheaton's success early, yielding only one hit in the first four innings before the Blue rallied in the fifth. The visitors opened the frame with four straight singles, as sophomore Megan Townsend's (Saline, MI) base hit knotted the contest before the go-ahead run scored on an error. Three more Blue runs later scored without the ball leaving the infield.
 
Fay suffered the loss, yielding four runs on six hits in five innings while striking out one and not walking a batter. Junior Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA) fanned two in two shutout innings of relief. Six different Lyons had a hit, with DeRosa and sophomore Kristen Hunt (Milford, CT) each doubling.
 
After DeRosa's hit, Wellesley senior Barbarajean Grundlock (Blackwood, NJ) set down 11 of the final 12 Wheaton batters. She ended up striking out eight without any walks, while Haladyna doubled as one of seven hitters with one knock.
 
In the nightcap, the Blue again struck first. Senior Amanda Tai (Melrose, MA) led off the opening frame by getting hit with a pitch and came around to score on Haladyna's one-out double, but Wheaton plated a pair of unearned runs the following frame. Merrick led off with a single, moved to third on a pair of sacrifice bunts and scored when freshman Staley Salazar (Lakewood, CO) reached on an error and grabbed second base on the play. Salazar came in on a passed ball two batters later.
 
However, Wellesley again staged a late rally, as a hit batter, a fielder's choice and an error loaded the bags with no one out. Sophomore Sinta Cebrian (Seattle, WA) provided an RBI single, while an outfield error allowed a third run to come around. With Cebrian on third and no one out, Bagley stopped the rally by retiring the final three batters of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, senior Brady Benton (Concord, NH) singled with two down to bring the tying run to the plate, but the Lyons were unable to do further damage. Five Wheaton players had single hits, as Benton had a knock and also reached on a walk. Bagley yielded only two earned runs during seven innings of work, fanning two without issuing a base on balls.
 
Cebrian and Haladyna were each 2-for-3 for the Blue, while Wood did not allow an earned run during a complete-game effort. She struck out three and walked one.
 
The Lyons continue an eight-game homestand when they face Eastern Connecticut State University for a Tuesday twinbill at 3:00 p.m.   Wellesley is back in action on Monday at 3:00pm playing at Babson.