NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team scored 11 runs in the first two innings and boasted three players with multiple runs batted to contribute to an 11-2 victory over host Smith College this afternoon in the first game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader in Northampton, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 17-8 overall and 7-2 in league play, while the Pioneers dip to 8-15 and 1-6.

Wheaton scored three times in the top of the first, before essentially putting the game out of reach with eight runs in the second for an 11-1 lead. The visitors took advantage of five Smith errors in the game. The Pioneers scored single runs in the first and fifth frames.

Junior third base Amanda Bogardus (Saco, Maine) was 2-3 with two RBI for the Lyons, while junior starting pitcher Sofia Knopf (Norton, Mass.) was 1-3 with a double and two runs batted in to go with a run scored. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits and four walks to go with three strikeouts in five complete innings to improve to 8-3 on the season. Junior shortstop Lindsey Oliveira (Westport, Mass.) also contributed to the offense with a 2-4 effort that saw her drive in a run and score twice. 

Junior Lucy Helms (Alameda, Calif.) was 1-2 with a double and an RBI for Smith, but suffered a losing fate as the team's starting pitcher, allowing 11 runs (seven earned) on four hits and two walks in addition to a strikeout in one and a third innings pitched. Junior Juno Shantz (Seattle, Wash.) was 1-3 with a solo homer and first year left fielder Elinor Washington (Sacramenton, Calif.) reached base twice with a double and a walk.

Sophomore left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to open the game for Wheaton, before junior second base Bryanna Agan (Averill Park, N.Y.) reached on an error. Oliveira followed with an RBI single up the middle to give the Lyons a 1-0 lead. Wheaton took advantage of a Pioneer miscue to take a 2-0 lead before Oliveira later scored on a groundout from sophomore right fielder Jillian Rohon (Southington, Conn.) for the third Wheaton run.

Shantz got a run back for the home team in the bottom of the frame with a solo shot over the left field fence for her fourth long ball of the season to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Lyons took advantage of three hits and pounded five hits to break the game open with eight runs in the second inning to take an 11-1 cushion. First year Lily Platt (Hallowell, Maine) singled to lead off the inning as one of 14 batters to come to the plate in the frame for Wheaton. She later scored on an error to give the Lyons a 4-1 lead. Wheaton added three more runs with junior catcher Jill Ceddia (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Rohon each reaching on fielder's choices with runners on base. Knopf delivered a two-run double later in the inning to give Wheaton a 9-1 advantage. Bogardus reached on an infield single to plate another run in her second at-bat of the inning, before Zito capped the scoring when she belted a run-scoring double to center field to bring home the Lyons' 11th run.

The Pioneers scored the game's final run in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn't enough to prevent the game being called due to the eight-run mercy rule. Junior right fielder Lexi Balam (Lyndeborough, N.H.) opened the inning with a single to left and later came around to score ahead of a two-out double to center field off the bat of Helms to pull Smith to within 11-2.