Wheaton College (MA)

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Senior Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) hammered the only home run in Friday's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference game at the United States Coast Guard Academy, but the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team was walked-off by the Bears as the hosts won 4-3.

The Lyons fell to 11-8 overall and 2-3 in the NEWMAC following the loss. Coast Guard improved to 11-8 overall and 5-2 in the conference after the walk-off win.

Junior Sofia De La Rosa (Middle Village, N.Y.) got the ball to start the game and tossed the entire contest, throwing six and two-thirds innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Junior shortstop Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) went 2-4 with a pair of singles. Blankenheim-Brown had the only RBI for Wheaton after her homer in the sixth, while first year Julia Miller (Cheshire, Conn.) and senior Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) both came around to score.

Coast Guard's senior starting pitcher Emma Behel (Ellicott City, Md.) was chased from the game after five and one-third innings. Senior Dana Walker (Macon, Ga.) relieved the starter and earned the win for Coast Guard after retiring five batters. Senior Maura Murphy (Bristow, Va.) led the Bears' offense with two hits and two RBI while first year Zoey Lynn (Nokomis, Fla.) added an RBI of her own to help the hosts to a win in game one of the doubleheader.

Wheaton started the scoring in the third inning after the opening pair of frames went by without any runs. Miller managed to reach first base following an error by Coast Guard at second base, giving Arcand a fantastic opportunity to lay down a bunt with one out. Arcand put down a strong bunt that carried to the infield, but another error at second base allowed Miller to touch home plate for the initial run. 

The lead did not last long, as Murphy poked a double through the gap in right-center to drive in the tying run. Lynn added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning after a smoldering single up the middle, giving Coast Guard a 2-1 lead. 

The Lyons were able to plate the tying run in the top of the fifth, preventing Coast Guard from enjoying their lead for long. Wheaton took advantage of another Coast Guard error as Molinari reached on an error in right field. A chaotic sequence followed as Arcand came around to score from second, while junior Taylor Barry (Hadley, Mass.) got caught in a rundown to end the inning. Barry made the right decision in the midst of the chaos, opting to turn back from second base to avoid the force-out and allowing Arcand's run to count.

The 2-2 tie did not last long, as Coast Guard plated a run in the bottom half of the fifth. This time it was a wild pitch from De La Rosa, the only one she had in the entire game, that allowed the go-ahead run to score.

The top of the sixth saw Blankenheim-Brown leave her mark on the contest. She led off the inning with a home run on the first pitch of the frame, an ambush on Behel that saw her exit the game two batters later. Wheaton would fail to score any more in the sixth, but De La Rosa mowed down the Bears' batters in consecutive order to quickly get the Lyons back on offense. 

Walker was strong in the top of the seventh as she pitched her first full inning in relief. Miller was able to reach on an error, and was advanced to second following an Arcand sacrifice bunt. Barry and Molinari were unable to convert Miller into a run, and the game stayed tied as the home team got their last licks. 

De La Rosa had a promising start to the final inning. She induced a quick out to lead off the frame after a pop-out, but a single and a fielder's choice saw a runner reach scoring position. Murphy came up huge with her second RBI of the game as she knocked a line drive into center field for a base-hit, driving in the game-winning run. Coast Guard walked-off Wheaton with a 4-3 win.

Wheaton will take on Coast Guard again today immediately following the first game.