NORTON, Mass. – Junior first base Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) knocked in both runs, including a walk-off RBI single to give the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team a 2-1 victory over visiting Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) this afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader at Clark Softball Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons have won 12 of their last 13 and improve to 16-3 on the season, while the Wildcats dip to 9-10.

Wheaton took a 1-0 edge in the third, before JWU knotted the contest with a run in the fifth to make it 1-1. The Lyons walked it off with a run in the bottom of the seventh.

Blankenheim-Brown was 1-4 on the day for Wheaton. Junior starting pitcher Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) was outstanding for the Lyons, yielding one run on four hits and a walk to go with a pair of strikeouts to improve to 3-0 on the year. Senior left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) was the only batter with multiple hits in the game after going 2-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. Senior center fielder Grace DiBacco (Selkirk, N.Y.) reached base twice with a 1-3 effort to go with a walk and scored a run. 

Junior shortstop Jadyn Torres (El Paso, Texas) paced the Wildcats at the plate with a 1-2 effort that saw her double, drive in a run and draw a walk. Junior catcher Mady Lyons (Prior Lake, Minn.), sophomore third base Jessica Forneiro (Kings Park, N.Y.) and sophomore first base Chloe Brunelle (Brentwood, N.H.) all collected a single for the visitors. Junior starting hurler Jillian Reed (Burlington, N.J.) was saddled with the loss to drop to 3-3, allowing two runs on seven hits and four base on balls, while fanning four batters.

Wheaton rallied for the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to come away with the 2-1 triumph. Zito drew a walk, before DiBacco ripped a single to the right center gap to put runners on the corners with one out. Sophomore shortstop Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) dumped a single right over first base and into shallow right field, but because it hung up in the air, the runner held at third before trying to score, where junior right fielder Olivia Mason (Derry, N.H.) threw a strike to the plate to cut down Zito to keep the game tied at 1-1. Blankenheim-Brown stepped in from the right side, before delivering a single up the middle to plate DiBacco with the winning run.

The Lyons got on the board in the bottom of the third when Zito reached on an infield single and DiBacco and Molinari each worked a walk to load the bases with one out. Blankenheim-Brown hit into a fielder's choice that resulted with a force at third base with Zito scoring the first run of the game on the play.

Johnson & Wales evened the score with a run in the fifth. Brunelle reached with an infield single to second, before moving to second on a ground out, where she was lifted for first year pinch-runner Abby Nersesian (Portsmouth, N.H.). Torres came through with a double to center field to bring Nersesian around to score the equalizer.

Arcand retired the final eight JWU hitters to set up Wheaton's seventh inning heroics.

The teams will play again in the nightcap of today's twinbill.