BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore pitcher Sofia De La Rosa (Middle Village, N.Y.) struck out nine and tossed a shutout to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team to a 4-0 victory this morning over host Emerson College in the first game of a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader at Rotch Field in Boston, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 25-12 overall and 10-9 in league play, while the Lions fall to 9-10.
Wheaton made the most of its hits scoring four runs on just four knocks and left only five runners on base. The Lyons scored two runs in the first and tacked on a run in the fourth and one more in the seventh.
De La Rosa, improved to 13-6 on the year. She allowed seven hits and just one walk in seven complete innings to toss her seventh shutout of the season to tie for the ninth-most in program history in a single season for Wheaton. Sophomore second base Taylor Barry (Hadley, Mass.) was 1-3 with two runs batted in, while senior left fielder Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) was 1-3 with a triple and an RBI. First year first base Kathryn Copperthite (Branford, Conn.) contributed going 1-3 with a run driven in.
Sophomore second base Riley Caiazza (Schaghticoke, N.Y.) led Emerson with a 3-4 day at the plate and senior designated player Jessica Gomez (West Chester, Pa.) was 1-2 with a double and a walk. Sophomore starting pitcher Caleigh Sheehan (Bolton, Conn.) was 1-3 with a double and allowed four runs on four hits and four walks to go with seven strikeouts in seven innings from the pitching circle. She dropped to 11-7 on the season.
The Lyons opened the game with a pair of runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 margin. Senior center fielder Grace DiBacco (Selkirk, N.Y.) drew a walk and sophomore shortstop Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) was hit by a pitch, before both runners moved up on a wild pitch and into scoring position. Barry came through early with a two-run, two-out single to left field to give the visitors a two-run lead.
Wheaton added to its lead with a run in the fourth to go up, 3-0. First year designated player Madi Miller (Middle Village, N.Y.) worked a walk and later scored when Copperthite singled combined with an error by the Lion right fielder on the play. The Lyons added one more insurance run in the seventh to take a 4-0 advantage. Sophomore pinch-hitter Sam Puma (Tyngsborough, Mass.) was issued a base on balls and senior right fielder Jillian Rohon (Southington, Conn.) re-entered to pinch run, before Zito belted a her school-record tying sixth triple of the season to right center to bring Rohon around to score the fourth run of the day. Zito also moved into fourth on Wheaton's career triples list with 12.
Emerson saw a runner advance to third base in four different innings, but could not manage a run in the game. The Lions' best chance to score came in the bottom of the fifth when Gomez ripped a two-out double to right field and Caiazza laced a single up the middle. Gomez looked to score on the play, but DiBacco cut her down at the plate for the second assist from the Wheaton outfield at the plate in as many days.
The teams continue the doubleheader in game two last from Rotch Field.
