SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Senior first base Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) homered and drove in three runs to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team to a 9-2 victory this afternoon over host Western New England University in game one of a twinbill at Golden Bear Softball Park in Springfield, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 9-4 on the season, while the Golden Bears fall to 6-9.
Wheaton rapped out 11 hits to record double-digit hits for the fourth time this season. The Lyons tallied four runs in the first and and seventh innings, while scoring a single run in the fourth. Western New England scratched across a single run in both the fourth and fifth frames.
Blankenheim-Brown was 3-4 with a pair of runs scored for Wheaton and junior shortstop Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) was 2-5 with a run batted in, a double and a pair of runs scored. Junior second base Taylor Barry (Hadley, Mass.) contributed with a 2-3 effort and knocked in a pair of runs to go with a run scored, a stolen base and a walk. Junior starting pitcher Sofia De La Rosa (Middle Village, N.Y.) gave up two runs on six hits and one walk to go with nine strikeouts in seven innings to earn the complete game victory and improve to 4-3 on the season.
Senior starting pitcher Riley Kane (Prospect, Conn.) paced the Golden Bears at the plate, going 2-3 with a double and a run scored. She allowed seven runs on 11 hits and two walks in addition to fanning three batters in six innings from the pitching circle to drop to 3-4 on the year. First year Payton McDaniel (Seymour, Conn.) came off the bench to go 1-1 with a double and a run batted in and senior designated player Evelyn Picone (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) was 1-3 at the plate with a run batted in.
The first four batters of the game all reached for the Lyons as part of a four-run first inning. Senior right fielder Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) drew a leadoff walk, before Barry reached on an infield hit to third base. Molinari delivered an RBI double down the left field line to plate Arcand with the first marker of the game. Blankenheim-Brown followed with a single to right field to bring Barry around to score. One out later, first year designated player Mady Bryan (Halifax, Mass.) served a single to right center to knock in Molinari with Wheaton's third run. Junior center fielder Gabby Reinbold (Sharon, Mass.) stung a single to right field for the Lyons' fifth hit of the frame to drive in Blankenheim-Brown to make it 4-0.
Wheaton added an insurance run in the fourth to give it a 5-0 margin. Senior catcher Riley Dolan (Coram, N.Y.) opened the inning with a walk, before advancing to third on a pair of infield outs. Barry reached on an infield hit to bring home Dolan for the five-run lead.
Kane helped herself in the bottom of the inning as the home team cracked the scoring column with its first run. Kane ripped a lead-off double to left and, two outs later, scored on a single to right off the bat of Picone to make it 5-1.
Western New England scored another two-out run in as many innings to make it a three-run game in the bottom of the fifth. Marley Rodriguez reached on an infield single to third and later scored from first on a two-run double to the left-center gap off the bat of McDaniel to pull the Golden Bears to within 5-3.
The Lyons effectively put the contest out of reach with four runs in the top of the seventh to give them a 9-2 cushion. Molinari singled to left and Blakenheim-Brown blasted her second long ball of the season over the center field fence to increase Wheaton's advantage to 7-2. The Lyons proceeded to load the bases with one out after junior third base Emma Boucher (Derry, N.H.) reached on an error and Bryan and first year left fielder Julia Miller (Cheshire, Conn.) each followed with walks. Arcand and Barry followed Miller's lead with RBI base on balls to give the visitors a seven-run difference.
The teams will face each other in game two of the doubleheader at 5:00 p.m.
