BOSTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team fell to host Emerson College, 10-5, in the opening game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader this afternoon on Rotch Field in Boston, Mass.

The Lyons fall to 19-12 overall and 7-6 in league play, while the Lions improve to 15-16 and 3-10.

Emerson scored four times in the bottom of the first, before Wheaton matched its hosts with four runs of its own in the top of the second to knot the contest. The Lions answered right away with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. Emerson rallied for four more runs in the fourth to take a 10-4 advantage and effectively put the game out of reach. 

Junior second base Bryanna Agan (Averill Park, N.Y.) was 2-4 with two runs batted in for the Lyons, while junior shortstop Lindsey Oliveira (Westport, Mass.) knocked in a run and was 3-4 with a double. Senior catcher Jill Ceddia (Hopkinton, Mass.) was 2-4 with a double and a pair of runs scored. Junior starting pitcher Sofia Knopf (Norton, Mass.) suffered the loss to drop to 9-5 after giving up six runs on seven hits and a walk, while fanning two batters.

Sophomore shortstop Sam Zannotti (Dudley, Mass.) led the Lions at the plate, going 3-3 with four RBI and a run scored and junior first base Makenzie Killough (Attleborough, Mass.) was 3-4 with a double, three runs batted in and two runs scored. First year starting pitcher Kit Zenga (Los Angeles, Calif.) also doubled and knocked in a pair of runs after going 2-3 with a pair of runs scored. Zenga picked up the win to improve to 5-4 after yielding five runs (four earned) on eight hits and three walks in five innings of work.

Emerson scored four times in the bottom of the first behind five straight hits with two outs to take a 4-0 lead. Junior second base Claire Overton (Wayne, Pa.) and Killough both singled before Zenga helped her own cause with a double to left center to plate Overton with the game's first run and a 1-0 edge. Zannotti followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0 before she later scored on a wild pitch to give the Lions four first inning runs.

Wheaton responded with four runs in the top of the second to tie the game at 4-4. The Lyons loaded the bases with no outs when Ceddia smacked a leadoff double to center field and Knopf and first year first base Lily Platt (Hallowell, Maine) drew back-to-back walks. Ceddia scored on an error before Knopf and Platt came around to score ahead of a two-run single to the left-center gap off the bat of Agan to pull Wheaton to within 4-3. Oliveira ripped an RBI single to left field and the game was tied at 4-4.

Emerson got two runs back in the bottom of the frame to take a two-run lead. Sophomore Carly Rosenberger (Conshohocken, PA) singled and Overton worked a walk to set up Killough for a two-out double to bring around both Rosenberger and Overton with the go-ahead runs to make it 6-4.

The Lions put together a four-run fourth, which proved to be too much for the Lyons to overcome. Killough and Zenga both knocked in runs with infield singles, before Zannotti came through with the big blow, a two-run single to left center to give Emerson a 10-4 advantage. 

Wheaton scored the last run of the game in the top of the fifth to pull to within 10-5. Ceddia singled to right center, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored when Knopf laced a single to left field.