NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team was defeated by visiting University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 14-7, this afternoon in a single game at Clark Softball Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons slip to 17-15 on the season, while the Corsairs have won seven of their last eight and improve to 24-9.
UMass Dartmouth pounded out 16 hits during the afternoon and scored nine runs in the final two frames to break the game open.
The teams traded one run apiece in the second and three each in the third, before Wheaton took a 5-4 edge after scoring in the bottom of the fourth. The Corsairs matched the run in the fifth before pulling away in the later frames.
Sophomore Madi Miller (Middle Village, N.Y.) hit one of three home runs on the day for the Lyons and knocked in three runs, while first year Mady Bryan (Halifax, Mass.) also hit a long ball and drove in a pair of runs. Junior center fielder Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) homered in her fourth straight game to become just the 17th player in NCAA Division III history to hit a round tripper in at least four consecutive contests and the first since 2021. First year shortstop Lexi Falcioni (North Branford, Conn.) was 2-3 with a run scored and a walk. Senior relief pitcher Brittany Dost (Centereach, N.Y.) suffered the loss to drop to 0-1 after allowing 10 runs on 10 hits and four walks in three innings of work.
Junior Olivia Silva (Swansea, Mass.) rapped out four hits and first year Chloe Edwards (Windham, Maine) drove in three runs to lead UMass Dartmouth. Edwards was 3-4 with a walk, while Silva knocked in a run, doubled and scored twice. Senior second base Emma Talpey (Bridgewater, Mass.) was 3-4 with two RBI, a run scored, a stolen base and a walk and senior Lena Tsonis (New Bedford, Mass.) contributed with a 2-5 day that saw her drive in a pair of runs, double and score three times. First year starting pitcher Brielle Kenney (Waterford, Conn.) earned the win to improve to 10-1 on the season and allowed seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and three walks to go with six strikeouts in six and a third innings pitched.
The Corsairs sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh inning and six scored to give the visitors a comfortable 11-5 advantage. Silva gave UMass Dartmouth the lead for good with an RBI double to right center to give the Corsairs a 6-5 edge. Tsonis keyed the big inning for UMass Dartmouth with a two run single to increase its margin to 8-5, before run-scoring singles from senior center fielder Sydney Menz (Stoughton, Mass.) and Edwards inflated the Corsairs' cushion to 10-5, before they tacked on another run on a groundout by sophomore Nina O'Neil (Plympton, Mass.).
UMass Dartmouth rallied for three more runs in the seventh to take a 14-5 advantage. Talpey laced an RBI single through the left side and Edwards capped the offensive barrage with a two-run single to right.
Wheaton got two runs back in the bottom of the inning, but fell short of a miraculous comeback. First year Alexandra Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) singled through the left side, before being lifted in favor of first year pinch-runner Lauren Kelley (Newton, Mass.). Bryan followed with her first collegiate blast over the fence to cut the deficit to 14-7, but it was the last runs of the afternoon for either side.
The Corsairs cracked the scoring column first when Tsonis doubled down the left field line and came around to score on a single to center field off the bat of Talpey to make it 1-0. The Lyons matched the run in the bottom of the frame when Falcioni served a one-out single to left field and later scored on an error.
UMass Dartmouth took advantage of three Wheaton errors in the second inning to score three runs and take a 4-1 margin. Silva roped a single down the left field line for the only hit in the inning, but one that ignited the three-run rally. First year Bre Fontes (Swansea, Mass.) reached on an error and Tsonis also reached base on an infield error with Silva scoring on the play. Fontes scampered home on a wild pitch to give the Corsairs a 3-1 lead. Tsonis also scored, coming home on a ground out to give the visitors a three-run advantage.
The Lyons pulled even on one swing of the bat in the bottom of the inning. Molinari was safe on an infield error and senior right fielder Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) reached safely on a fielder's choice. Miller stepped in and crushed a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for her first career home run and a 4-4 tie for Wheaton.
The Lyons took their first lead of the day when Molinari lifted an opposite field long ball over the center field fence to give Wheaton a 5-4 lead.
UMass Dartmouth knotted the score for the third time with a single run in the fifth. Junior right fielder Lily Routhier (Attleboro, Mass.) led off the inning with a single to center. She advanced to third on back-to-back ground outs and scampered home on a wild pitch with two outs to make it 5-5.
The Corsairs return to action on Saturday, May 2 when they host Vermont State University Castleton for a Little East Conference doubleheader at 12:00 p.m., while the Lyons head to Worcester, Mass. on May 1 to take on Clark University (Mass.) for a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference twinbill at 3:00 p.m.
