NORTON Mass. — Sophomore shortstop Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) knocked in a pair of runs and junior starting pitcher Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) tossed a complete game victory to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team over visiting Clark University (Mass.), 4-2, to earn a split in 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 improve to 19-5 on the season and 4-2 in league play, while the Cougars dip to 11-11 and 2-4.
Wheaton pitching held Clark to just three hits for the second time in as many games on the day, but only managed one more knock than it had in the opening contest against its guests.
Molinari was 1-3 with a triple and a run scored for the Lyons and Blankenheim-Brown gave up two runs on three hits and one walk to go with three strikeouts in seven innings from the circle to raise her record to 7-2. Blankenheim-Brown swung a potent bat as well for Wheaton, going 2-3 with a double, a run batted in and a run scored. Senior left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) was 1-3 with a stolen base and a run scored from the lead-off spot and senior center fielder Grace DiBacco (Selkirk, N.Y.) was 1-3 with a run scored.
Graduate student third base Rebecca Mauro (Easton, Conn.) paced the Cougars' offense with two hits in three trips at the plate and also knocked in a run and scored a run. Junior first base Felicia Salvati (Naugatuck, Conn.) was 1-3 with a double and an RBI. Junior starting pitcher Brooke Buzzeo (Trumbull, Conn.) took the loss to dip to 4-5 after giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk, while fanning five batters in six innings.
Wheaton scored a run in the second and three more in the third to give it a 4-0 lead. Clark got a run back in the fourth and rallied for one more in the seventh.
Blankenheim-Brown belted a lead-off double to the right field fence and later scored on a passed ball to put the Lyons on the board with a 1-0 edge.
Wheaton added three runs in the third to increase its margin to 4-0. Zito and DiBacco registered back-to-back one-out singles before Molinari launched a ball to right field and raced around the bases before pulling into third with her third triple of the season to plate both runners and give the home team a 3-0 lead. Blankenheim-Brown kept the pressure on with the Lyons' fourth straight hit – a single to right to drive in Molinari with the fourth run.
Blankenheim-Brown entered the fourth with a perfect game after retiring the first nine batters she faced for Wheaton. The perfecto ended when sophomore Charlise Quigley (Long Beach, N.Y.) was hit by a disputed pitch that was ruled as a hit batter as opposed to a foul ball off the end of the bat. The decision proved consequential. Quigley moved to second on a ground out and scored when Mauro broke up the no-hitter for the Cougars with two outs after dumping a single to center field to give them their first run of the contest.
Clark scored the final run of the day in the top of the seventh to make it 4-2. Mauro opened the frame with a single down the left field line and later scored when Salvati ripped a double to the gap in left center field, but it was the visitors' last run of the game.
The Lyons return to action on Friday, April 11 when they travel to Cambridge, Mass. to take on NEWMAC foe Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a doubleheader at 3:00 p.m., while the Cougars head to Dudley, Mass. to play Nichols College on April 8 at 3:00 p.m.
