NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Three different players drove in four runs, including senior left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) and junior pitcher Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.), who each homered to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team over host Smith College to complete a doubleheader sweep this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Smith Softball Field in Northampton, Mass.
The Lyons have won 14 of their last 16 games and improve to 18-4 overall and 3-1 in league play, while the Pioneers fall to 4-12 and 0-2.
Wheaton scored the first three runs of the game in the top of the first and erupted for 11 runs in the second to take a commanding 14-1 advantage. The Lyons capped the scoring with a pair of runs in the fifth. The game was halted after five innings due to the NCAA's eight-run mercy rule. Smith's only run came in the bottom of the first and was its only run in the doubleheader. Wheaton's top four hitters in the line-up were a combined 11-15 with 12 RBI.
Blankenheim-Brown was outstanding in the pitching circle as well, giving up just one run on two hits, while striking out three in six innings to improve to 6-2 on the season for the Lyons. She was 3-4 at the plate with a double and a pair of runs scored. Zito was 4-4 from the top of the lineup with a double and a school-record tying four runs scored. The effort marks the third time in her career she has had four hits in a game. Sophomore shortstop Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) also knocked in four runs to establish a career high and was 2-3 with a double and two runs scored. Senior center fielder Grace DiBacco (Selkirk, N.Y.) contributed with a 2-4 effort and scored two runs.
Sophomore center fielder Ally Knutson (Green Bay, Wis.) led Smith, going 1-3 with a run scored, a stolen base and a double, while sophomore left fielder Bailey Gray (Missouri City, Texas) was 1-2. First year starting pitcher Lindsay Bennett (Sanford, Maine) was tagged with the loss to drop to 0-3 after allowing 12 runs on nine hits and four walks in one and a third innings pitched.
Wheaton sent 16 hitters to the plate and broke the game open with 11 runs in the top of the second inning. Zito began the outburst with an RBI double to left field and ended it with a three-run round-tripper over the left field fence. In between, Molinari drove in a pair of runs with a single to right and Blankenheim-Brown followed with a two-run blast over the left field fence to give the Lyons an 8-1 advantage. Wheaton loaded the bases with one out when sophomore second base Taylor Barry (Hadley, Mass.) and classmate Emma Boucher (Derry, N.H.) sandwiched a walk each around a single to center from first year Madi Miller (Middle Village, N.Y.). Senior right fielder Jillian Rohon (Southington, Conn.) forced a run across the plate with a base on balls and first year third base Sangeeta Vaidya (Sunnyvale, Calif.) followed with a two-run single to right field to make it 11-4 before the Zito long ball gave the visitors 14 runs.
Wheaton tallied the final two runs of the day in the top of the fifth inning. Zito served a lead-off single to center field, before DiBacco reached on an infield single and Zito went to third on the play. Molinari hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Blankenheim-Brown ripped an RBI single to center to cap the scoring.
The Lyons got on the board first with three runs in the game's opening frame. Zito reached on an infield single to begin the inning and moved to third on a ground out. Molinari cranked a double to center field to plate Zito with the game's first marker. Blankenheim-Brown traded places with Molinari after belting a double to center field. Barry continued the extra-hit barrage with a triple to right field to plate Blankenheim-Brown with the visitors' third run.
The Pioneers scored their only run of the afternoon in the bottom of the inning. Knutson led off with a double to center, stole third and scored on a ground out to shortstop off the bat of sophomore shortstop Taz Tamai (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Wheaton returns to play on Sunday, April 6 when it hosts Clark University in NEWMAC play at Clark Softball Field with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch. Smith heads to Newport, R.I. on the same day to take on Salve Regina University in conference action also at 2:00 p.m.
