BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Senior starting pitcher Sofia Knopf (Norton, Mass.) threw a one-hit no-walk shutout and senior shortstop Lindsey Oliveira (Westport, Mass.) drove in four runs to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team to a 9-0 victory this afternoon over host Bridgewater State University in the first game of a double-header at Alumni Park in Bridgewater, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 5-8 on the season, while the Bears fall to 7-9.

Knopf was absolutely dominant for Wheaton, bringing a perfect game into the bottom of the fourth inning after retiring 10 straight batters, including nine by strikeout. First year designated player Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) was hit by a pitch to end perfection with one out in the inning. The Lyons erased Ansell on the base paths trying to steal second, and Knopf set down the final hitter in the frame on a flyout to maintain the minimum 12 batters faced through four innings. Knopf struck out the side in the fifth to give her 12 strikeouts and got the first batter of the sixth inning to fly out. The right-hander was five outs away from her first collegiate no-hitter before sophomore first base Katie Tobin (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) singled to left to break up the no-no. Knopf retired the next two batters and recorded another 1-2-3 frame in the seventh to face just 22 batters for one over the minimum in a seven-inning complete game victory. 

Meanwhile, the Wheaton bats were doing their part as well, scoring four times in the second, once in the fourth, twice in the fifth and two more times in the seventh for the 9-0 rout.

Oliveira was joined by first year designated player Taylor Barry (Hadley, Mass.) with swinging a hot bat, recording her first four-hit game at the collegiate level in five at-bats, while smacking a pair of doubles, knocking in a run and scoring twice. Junior right fielder Jillian Rohon (Southington, Conn.) was 3-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored from the nine-hole in the order, while first year second base Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) was producing just a hitter ahead of her, going 3-4 with a run scored. Junior left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) also contributed to the season-high 17-hit attack with a 1-3 effort, including a double, a run batted in and three runs scored. Knopf finished with a career-high 14 strikeouts, which is just one shy of tying the school record of 15 shared by Emily Berardi (3/27/15) and Jackie Demling (3/19/03), and improves to 3-3 on the season for the Lyons. 

Senior righty Tatiana Burcy (Hyde Park, Mass.) takes the loss to drop to 2-2 for Bridgewater State after giving up seven runs on 14 hits and three walks to go with two strikeouts in four innings of work. 

Wheaton took a 4-0 lead in the second inning to give Knopf all the offense she would need for the game. Burcy recorded an out to begin the frame, but seven straight Lyons all reached base, including six with a hit to account for the scoring output. Senior third base Bryanna Agan (Averill Park, N.Y.) doubled to right and scored ahead of a single through the right side off the bat of Molinari. Rohon and Zito followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to give Wheaton a 3-0 margin. Oliveira later reached on an infield single to second base to plate Zito with the fourth run of the frame.

The Lyons tacked on another run in the fourth when Barry opened the inning with a double to center and came around to score on a single to center field from Oliveira to make it 5-0.

Wheaton loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the fifth and Oliveira delivered again with a two-run single to the left-center gap to bring home Rohon, who had singled and Zito, who had worked a walk. 

The Lyons entered the seventh with a 7-0 advantage, before scoring two more runs to make it a nine-run cushion. Zito drew a lead-off walk to reach base for the third time and Barry ripped a double down the left field line to score Zito. Barry took third base on an error on the play, before eventually scoring herself on a wild pitch for Wheaton's ninth run.

The Lyons return to play the Bears in the afternoon's second game.