KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team rallied for three runs in the ninth inning, including a walk-off RBI single off the bat of senior right fielder Jillian Rohan (Southington, Conn.) to give the Lyons a 6-5 victory over North Central College (Ill.) this afternoon at Fortune Road Athletic Complex in Kissimmee, Fla. as part of The Spring Games.
The Lyons improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Cardinals fall to 0-3.
The teams combined for 22 hits, including 12 for North Central. Wheaton boasted 21 base runners for the game with 10 hits and 11 walks drawn. The Lyons did not trail in the game until the ninth inning in a game that featured four ties.
Rohan was 2-5 with two RBI for Wheaton, while sophomore shortstop Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) was 2-3 with two runs batted in, a double, two runs scored and a pair of walks. Senior left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) collected three hits in four at-bats, including a double and a run scored and also drew a walk, stole a base and recorded an outfield assist at the plate. Junior righty reliever Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) tossed the final five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk to go with a strikeout to earn the victory and improve to 1-0 on the season.
Graduate student third base Talia Torosian (Schaumburg, Ill.) was 3-4 with a run batted in for the Cardinals and sophomore shortstop Rachael Madsen (Kenosha, Wis.) was 2-5 with a solo home run. Junior designated player Hailey Morsovillo (Mokena, Ill.) knocked in a pair of runs with a single and worked a walk, while junior first base Lauren Bowmar (Union Mills, Ind.) was 2-5 with an RBI. Sophomore relief pitcher Juliana Maude (Huntley, Ill.) suffered the loss to drop to 0-2 after giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits and six bases on balls to go with four strikeouts in four innings of relief.
The Lyons entered the bottom of the ninth facing a 5-3 deficit before Molinari drove a double to the right center gap fence to score sophomore second base Taylor Barry (Hadley, Mass.), who began the frame on second base as part of the international tie-breaker rule. Molinari moved to third on a fly out to left and junior designated player Riley Dolan (Coram, N.Y.) and sophomore catcher Emma Boucher (Derry, N.H.) followed with back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out for Wheaton. Maude induced a pop up to put North Central within an out of victory, but first year third base Sangeeta Vaidya (Sunnyvale, Calif.) worked a walk to force in the tying run and pull the Lyons even at 5-5. Rohon dumped a single into left field to plate Dolan with the winning run.
Wheaton cracked the scoring column first with a run in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 edge. Zito legged out a lead-off double to the left center gap and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Molinari served a single to center field to knock in Zito with the first run of the contest.
The Cardinals matched the run in the top of the third to knot the score at 1-1 after putting the bat on the ball for three straight singles. Senior center fielder Sarah Lynch (Algonquin, Ill.) and Torosian rapped out consecutive singles to set up Morsovillo for an RBI single to center to plate Lynch.
The Lyons reclaimed their edge with a run in the bottom of the fourth to boast a 2-1 lead. Wheaton loaded the bases with one out after back-to-back singles from Dolan and Boucher, before Vaidya drew one of her three walks for the game. Rohon entered the batter's box for the first of three at-bats with the bases loaded for the Lyons and presented a preview of what was to come later with a flair just over the left side of the infield to give Wheaton the lead.
North Central made the most of its turn as well, scoring in its next at bat to pull even at 2-2. The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out thanks to a walk from Morsovillo, a single off the bat of Madsen and junior catcher Kayla Crabtree (Frankfort, Ill.) reaching on a fielder's choice. Morsovillo crossed the plate with the tying run after Bowmar grounded out to shortstop.
Wheaton countered immediately in the bottom of the frame when Molinari was issued a walk to open the inning and sophomore starting pitcher Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) belted a double to the right-center gap to give the Lyons the lead again.
The Cardinals answered the bell again in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3. Graduate student right fielder Ronnie Latka (Sugar Grove, Ill.) laced a lead-off single up the middle, before moving to second on a ground out and scoring on a single to center field from Torosian following a close play at the plate.
North Central took its first lead of the contest with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to take a 5-3 margin. Lynch was placed on second base and moved to third on a fly out, before scoring on a Morsovillo ground out for a 4-3 edge. Madsen followed with a blast over the left center fence for her first homer of the year to give the Cardinals a 5-3 advantage.
Wheaton returns to Fortune Road tomorrow when it takes on Utica College at 9:00 a.m., while North Central plays Western New England University today at 1:30 p.m.
