Softball Swept by Wellesley
WELLESLEY, Mass. -- The Wellesley College softball team swept a doubleheader versus visiting Bridgewater State on Wednesday afternoon. The Blue won both games by identical scores of 9-3.
The Blue got on the board in the bottom of the first, as Jesse Haladyna (St. John's, FL) led off with a homer, her fifth of the season, to give Wellesley a 1-0 edge. The Blue added two more in the second, when Megan Townsend (Saline, MI) doubled off fence in right, driving in Cinta Sebrian (Seattle, WA) and Alex Warren (Delta, BC) to give Wellesley a 3-0 lead.
Wellesley continued to hit the ball well in the third, as Ilana Orloff (Weston, MA) led off with a single and came around to score on a single up the middle from Wood. The Blue followed with one more in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead.
The Bears rallied in the fifth, when they loaded the bases with no outs, courtesy of back-to-back singles from Jordan McDermott (East Bridgewater, MA) and Lauren Cucinotta (Franklin, MA) and a walk. After a force out at home on a fielder's choice, Cucinotta scored on a bouncer to short, then Brianna Strecker's (Waterford, CT) single to right-center drove in two to trim the lead to 5-3. But Wellesley added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the sixth as they cruised to the 9-3 win.
Cucinotta tallied two hits for the Bears, while Strecker notched two RBI on one hit. Jamie Ducinski (Duxbury, MA) took the loss, giving up five runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings of work.
For Wellesley, Wood went 3-for-4 with three RBI while fanning 10 in route to her sixth win of the season. Townsend had a good day at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Lauren Goldfarb (Albuquerque, NM) and Mara Blesoff (Oak Park, IL) added two hits each, while Haladyna chipped in two RBI for the Blue.
In the nightcap, Wellesley took a slim 1-0 lead in the first. Bridgewater State tied the game a half inning later when Michaela Ferreira (Fall River, MA) scored from third on a Wellesley miscue. But Wellesley's Warren answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to give the Blue a 3-1 lead.
The Bears scored again in the top of the third, when Stephanie Burns (North Attleboro, MA) sprinted home on a fielder's choice, trimming the lead to 3-2. Wellesley replied with one run in the bottom of the third before the Bears responded with a run of their own in the top of the fourth, putting the score at 4-3.
Wellesley broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, with a pair of two-out, two-RBI singles from Brittany Bakacs (Millstone Township, NJ) and Wood to grab an 8-3 lead. Goldfarb came on in relief of Sara Schawartzmeyer (Elba, NY) and held the Bears scoreless for the remainder of the game. The Blue added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to take the 9-3 win.
For the Bears, Cucinotta, Ferreira, Strecker, Burns, and Casey Hill (Randolph, MA) tallied one hit each. Meghan Dunn took the loss, giving up eight runs on four hits in 3.2 innings.
For the Blue, Bakacs, Wood, and Warren recorded one hit and two RBI a piece. Schwartzmeyer got the win, fanning four while giving up three runs on three hits in four innings of work.
Wellesley continues its homestand tomorrow, April 15, with a 3:00pm doubleheader against cross-town and NEWMAC rival, Babson College. The Bears return to action on Saturday, April 17, at 12:00pm, when they host Westfield State in a MASCAC double-header.