Wheaton College (MA)

NORTON, Mass. -- Junior starting pitcher Sofia De La Rosa (Middle Village, N.Y.) hurled a four-hit shutout to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team over No. 24 Massachusetts Institute of Technology this afternoon in the opening game of a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader at Clark Softball Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons improved to 15-13 overall and 5-8 in the NEWMAC after the win, while the Engineers, who are ranked in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association national poll, fell to 25-4 overall and 11-2 in the NEWMAC with their first loss in the month of April.

The win marks Wheaton's first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2024's 10-3 win over number 25 MIT on April 15th of that year.

De La Rosa struck out five batters and allowed just one walk. First year designated player Mady Bryan (Halifax, Mass.) paced the Lyons at the plate, knocking in the game's only run and was 2-3 with a double in the game. Junior center fielder Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) picked up a hit and came around as the winning run, while senior right fielder Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.), junior first base Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) and senior catcher Riley Dolan (Coram, N.Y.) all added a hit of their own. 

Sophomore Delaney Benevides (Plainville, Mass.) led the Engineers at the plate with a pair of base-hits, but was caught stealing to remove her from the base paths once. First year starting pitcher Emily Watson (Weddington, N.C.) pitched well but allowed one run on six hts and a walk, which ultimately made all the difference in the contest. 

De La Rosa deftly dealt with two early base runners in the top of the first inning as the Engineers reached base with a Benevides base hit. Dolan caught her stealing to keep the paths clear, and the inning ended after a walk and a ground out.

Molinari led off the bottom of the first with a bloop-single to center field before she was advanced to second base by a sacrifice bunt. Bryan later came up with two outs and took the second pitch of her at-bat to deep center field. Bryan slid safely into second with a double, and Wheaton had the lead at 1-0 after Molinari touched home plate. 

De La Rosa settled into the second inning as she worked a fly out and pitched around a double by striking out two batters to end the inning. The top of the third was very similar as the Wheaton starter worked two quick outs before Benevides reached base after a lengthy battle that included six foul balls ahead of the base-hit. De La Rosa induced a weak fly-out to end the inning, preserving the Wheaton lead. 

MIT earned its last hit in the top of the fourth inning with a lead-off single, but De La Rosa slammed the door shut with three straight outs to end the inning. 

De La Rosa because stronger as the game went on, allowing no hits from the Engineers in the remaining innings as she retired 12 straight to clinch the win. The Lyons' bats were in search of insurance, but failed to find any as Watson had also settled into the game, albeit the damage had already been done. Wheaton held on to win behind dominant pitching for a 1-0 win over the nationally-ranked Engineers.

Wheaton and MIT will play again later today in game two of the NEWMAC doubleheader in Norton.