WORCESTER, Mass. — Senior right fielder Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.) drove in the only run of the game and junior right-handed starting pitcher Sofia De La Rosa (Middle Village, N.Y.) hurled a two-hit shutout to give the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team a 1-0 victory over host Clark University (Mass.) this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at O'Brien Field in Worcester, Mass.
The Lyons have won four of their last five league games and improve to 18-15 on the season, including 8-9 in conference play, while the Cougars fall to 15-19 and 4-13. The win clinches a playoff spot for Wheaton.
Both sides combined for just seven hits, including five for the visitors.
The teams were scoreless through six complete innings, before the Lyons tallied the only run in the top of the seventh inning.
De La Rosa picks up her second 1-0 shutout on a Friday in a span of eight days to improve to 9-7 after striking out eight and allowing just one walk in seven complete innings for Wheaton. Arcand was 1-3 with a double, while junior center fielder Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) was 2-3 with a pair of doubles. Junior third base Emma Boucher (Derry, N.H.) was 2-3 with a double and a run scored.
Senior center fielder Emelie Spence (Margate, Fla.) and junior starting pitcher Megan Dube (Leominster, Mass.) were both 1-3 with the only hits for Clark. Dube also doubled at the plate. She took the loss in the circle to drop to 6-11 after giving up a run on five hits and fanned five batters in seven innings.
The Lyons scored the lone run in the top of the seventh when Boucher belted a double to left field and Arcand followed with a single through the left side to bring Boucher around to score.
De La Rosa retired the final three batters in the bottom of the inning to earn the victory.
Dube opened the second inning with a double to left center field to represent the only runner that the Cougars put on second base for the entire game. One out later, sophomore catcher Avery Della Piana (Tewksbury, Mass.) drew a walk, but De La Rosa set down the final two batters, including a strikeout, to end the threat.
Wheaton threatened to score in the top half of the frame when Boucher reached on an infield single, went to second on a passed ball and advanced to third on a ground out. Dube ended the inning herself, snagging a line drive right back at her for the third out.
Following the walk issued to Della, De La Rosa set down the next 12 hitters in order until Spence reached on a bunt single with one out in the sixth for Clark.
In the meantime, Molinari doubled with less than two outs in the first and the sixth innings, but was left stranded both times for the Lyons.
The teams will meet again in game two of today's doubleheader.
