NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team was edged by visiting Emmanuel College (Mass.), 3-2, in a doubleheader split this afternoon at Clark Softball Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 15-12 on the season, while the Saints improve to 12-12.
Emmanuel took advantage of five errors to come away with the victory. The visitors took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, before Wheaton scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to knot the game at 2-2. The Saints scored the eventual winning run in the top of the sixth inning.
Senior third base Bryanna Agan (Averill Park, N.Y.) paced the Lyons' bats with a 1-2 effort to knock in a run. First year second base Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) was 1-3 with a run scored. Sophomore starting hurler Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) was saddled with the loss to fall to 2-5 after giving up three unearned runs on seven hits and a walk to go with seven strikeouts to match her career high in seven complete innings.
First year left fielder Madison Ryder (Middleboro, Mass.) led the Emmanuel offense, going 2-3 with a double and two runs scored, while junior center fielder Taylor Chelak (Westborough, Mass.) was 2-4. Sophomore starting pitcher Mackenzie Briggs (West Warwick, R.I.) earned the win to improve to 6-7 after allowing a run on two hits to go with a strikeout in four innings of work. Junior reliever Madison Marks (Edgewater Park, N.J.) earned her first collegiate save after yielding one run on no hits and three walks in addition to a trio of strikeouts.
The Saints took the lead for good with a run in the sixth to snap a 2-2 tie. Ryder singled through the left side and sophomore Emely Rodriguez (Lynn, Mass.) served a single to right center with one out. First year pinch-hitter McKayla Poisson (Peabody, Mass.) laid down a bunt in front of the plate and hit first base at the same time that the Wheaton pitcher's throw ricocheted off her and rolled out of play. The dead ball situation resulted in Ryder being awarded the plate with the go-ahead run.
The Lyons looked to knot the game in the bottom of the frame when sophomore first base Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a ground out, but was stranded there on a fly out to end the inning.
Emmanuel scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the second with just one hit. Ryder smacked a lead-off double to left field and came around to score when senior Emma Crisafull (Loudonville, N.Y.) reached on an error. Crisafull also scored later in the frame with the benefit of an error when Chelak reached on a miscue by the right fielder to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Wheaton cut the deficit in half with its first run of the game coming in the bottom of the fourth. Molinari opened the frame with a single down the left field line, moved to second on a ground out and scampered around third to score on a single up the middle off the bat of Agan.
The Lyons used aggressive base running to knot the contest with a run in the fifth to pull even at 2-2. Arcand drew a walk and stole second base, before sophomore catcher Riley Dolan (Coram, N.Y.) put down a sacrifice bunt to push Arcand to third, but she never stopped and continued on to the plate with Wheaton's second run of the game.
The Lyons return to the diamond on Friday, April 19 when they travel to New London, Conn. to take on New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference foe United States Coast Guard Academy for a 3:00 p.m. twinbill, while the Saints host Regis College (Mass.) on April 20 at 10:00 a.m.
