Brillon notches three hits in the loss

WELLESLEY, Mass. – A six-run fourth inning lifted the top-seeded Wellesley College softball team to an 8-3 victory over second-seeded Wheaton College on Sunday afternoon in a winners bracket game at the 2014 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Tournament. 

The victory advances the Blue (26-9) to next Saturday's NEWMAC Championship game without a loss. Wheaton will now play in the loser's bracket final on Saturday, May 3 at 10:00am, taking on the winner of today's game against #3 WPI and #6 Smith.

Wheaton struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the third. A Wellesley miscue and an Ashley Brillon (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) single put runners on first and second with no outs to start the inning. Wellesley erased the lead runner on the next play, but a throw to second intending to pick off a runner was knocked to the outfield and Brillon hustled back to her feet, took third and then raced home to score for a 1-0 lead. Wheaton got its second run on a hard-hit single by senior Jenna Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth) through the right side.

Wellesley answered in the bottom of the third, with a two-run home run off the bat of Ashtyn Coleman (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral). Coleman's blast scored Abby Casey (Milford, Conn./Lauralton Hall) who led off the frame with a single up the middle. 

After tying the game, the Blue's starting pitcher Lindsay Johnson (Bellingham, Wash./Sehome) got a one-two-three top of the fourth, setting up Wellesley's eventual six-run bottom half of the fourth. The Blue took an 8-2 advantage scoring six runs on seven hits which included one extra base knock.

Emilyrose Havrilla (Caldwell, N.J./Mount St. Dominic Academy) led off the inning with a single and Anna Pisac (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish) followed with a double to left. Jennifer Migliore (Saugus, Mass./The Governor's Academy) then drove in a run on a single to right, while Mariah Phillips (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) plated a pair with a single through the right side to make it 5-2. After Coleman singled to center, Jaclyn Tsang (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) made it 6-2 with a single to left.

Senior Jayne Ellis (Mishawaka, Ind./Penn) followed with an infield single that scored a run, and the Blue got the sixth run of the inning on a double steal in which Ellis tied up the defenders long enough to allow Tsang to cross the plate, making it 8-2, Wellesley.

Wheaton rallied for a run in the top of the seventh inning, but the Lyons late comeback fell short. Sophomore Madeline Hatch (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxboro) reached on a hit-by-pitch to start the frame, and was sent to second following a ground out. A Brillon single advanced Hatch to third where freshman Mary DeMoura (Boston, Mass./Boston Latin) sent her home on a sacrifice fly to right field. Johnson then induced a ground ball to short to end the Wheaton threat, giving Wellesley a spot in next Saturday's championship game.

Every member of the Wellesley lineup reached base in the game, as the Blue tallied 12 total hits. Coleman led the charge with a 4-for-4 performance, as the rookie recorded a double, a home run and a pair of RBI in the win. Havrilla finished her day going 2-for-3, while Philips drove in a pair of runs for the Blue. Rounding out the Wellesley offense, Tsang, Ellis, and Migliore all added RBI.

Johnson recorded the win for Wellesley, moving to 17-6 on the season. The senior threw seven innings for the Blue, allowing a pair of earned runs, while scattering six hits and striking out three. 

Wheaton's offense was paced by three hits from Brillon, while Rocha added a pair of hits. DeMoura and Rocha also drove in runs for the Lyons in the setback.

In the circle, Wheaton senior Allison Baker (Orange, Conn./Amity Regional) suffered the loss, throwing the first three innings, allowing six runs on seven hits with one strikeout. Sophomore Jillian Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth) pitched two innings in relief, allowing two runs on four hits, while junior Noelle Christmas (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth South) tossed the final inning, allowing just one hit. 

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