NORTON, Mass. – Sophomore starting pitcher Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) knocked in a pair of runs and tossed a complete game to help the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team defeat visiting No. 25 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 10-3, this afternoon to gain a split following the second game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference twinbill at Clark Softball Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons have won seven of their last nine and improve to 14-11 overall and 8-2 in NEWMAC play, while the Engineers dip to 13-7 and 3-5.
The victory marks the first win over MIT for Wheaton since a 6-3 decision on April 29, 2017 in the NEWMAC Tournament at host Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. It's the first home win for the Lyons against the Engineers since a 1-0 victory on May 2, 2015, also in the NEWMAC Tournament.
Wheaton pounded out 13 hits to record double-digit knocks for the eighth time this season, while MIT finished with 11.
The Lyons scored the first six runs of the game, including five in the bottom of the second inning. The Engineers closed to within 6-3 after scoring a run in the fifth and two more in the six, before Wheaton rallied for four runs in the sixth to make it a seven-run margin.
Arcand was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored at the plate for the Lyons, while scattering 11 hits and giving up three runs to go with a pair of strikeouts and a walk to improve to 2-4 on the season. Junior left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) was 3-4 with a triple, two runs batted in and two runs scored, while first year second base Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) was 3-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Senior shortstop Lindsey Oliveira (Westport, Mass.) was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Sophomore center fielder Kara Hines (Cynthiana, Ky.) paced the Engineers at the plate, going 2-3 with a double and two runs batted in and junior second base Mackenzie Bivin (San Diego, Calif.) was 1-4 with a double and an RBI. Junior left fielder Mikayla Cable (Valrico, Fla.) was 2-4 to contribute to MIT's offense as well. Junior starting pitcher Becca O'Connor (San Antonio, Texas) suffered the loss to drop to 3-4, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk in one and a third innings of work.
Wheaton wasted no time in getting its first run of the game with Zito whacking a triple to left center field and then scoring on an errant throw to give the home team 1-0 edge.
The Lyons scored five times in the bottom of the second to essentially give them all the runs they would need for the game. Junior right fielder Jillian Rohan (Southington, Conn.) belted a triple to right field and scored on a single down the right field line off the bat of Zito to bump Wheaton's lead to 2-0. First year designated player Taylor Barry (Hadley, Mass.) and Molinari followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out. Senior third base Bryanna Agan (Averill Park, N.Y.) reached on an infield error, resulting in Zito and Barry scoring to give the home team a 4-0 margin. Sophomore first base Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) drew a walk and Oliveira also received a free pass to force in Molinari with the fifth Wheaton run. Arcand put one more run on the board to help her cause with an infield single to make it 6-0.
MIT put together a pair of hits with two outs to crack the scoring column in the fifth and cut the deficit to 6-1. Junior right fielder Kennedy Adkison (San Jose, Calif.) singled up the middle and Bivin delivered a two-out double to the gap in left center to drive in Adkison with the visitors' first run of the contest.
The Engineers cut the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the sixth – again with two outs. Senior first base Mackenzie Relihan (Naperville, Ill.) served a single to left field and senior catcher Rylie Spiegel (Bradenton, Fla.) followed a batter later with a single down the left field line to set up Hines. She came through with a two-run double to right center to pull MIT within 6-3.
The Lyons effectively dashed the Engineers' hope of a comeback with four runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 10-3 advantage. Oliveira began the rally with a one-out single up the middle, before taking second on a wild pitch. Arcand ripped a single up the middle to drive in Oliveira, before sophomore pinch-hitter Ashlyn Burt (Olathe, Kan.) and Rohon were issued walks to load the bases. Zito lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Arcand with the eighth Wheaton run. Barry worked a two-out walk to re-load the bases, before Molinari laced a two-run single through the left side to give the Lyons a seven-run cushion.
Wheaton returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Emmanuel College (Mass.) for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader at Clark Softball Field, while the Engineers travel to Medford, Mass. on April 17 to play Tufts University in a 3:00 p.m. twinbill.
