NORTON, Mass. -- Senior right-hander
Peyton Blankenheim-Brown (Rio Linda, Calif.) tossed a six-hit shutout to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) softball team over visiting Emerson College, 4-0, in game one of Saturday's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader at Clark Softball Field.
The Lyons improved to 20-15 overall and 10-9 in the NEWMAC with the win, while the Lions fell to 7-23 overall and 5-14 in league play.
Senior day celebrations were held ahead of the first pitch to honor seniors
Ashlyn Burt (Olathe, Kan.),
Riley Dolan (Coram, N.Y.), Blankenheim-Brown,
Maggie Caron (Boxford, Mass.),
Brittany Dost (Centereach, N.Y.) and
Amber Arcand (Millville, Mass.).
Wheaton had only four hits in the contest, as junior
Emma Boucher (Derry, N.H.) led the team with a hit and an RBI. Junior
Ella Molinari (Grafton, Mass.) had a hit while Caron added a knock of her own to go with a stolen base. Arcand
had a hit while first years
Mady Bryan (Halifax, Mass.) and
Lexi Falcioni (
North Branford, Conn.) both added an RBI without hits. Blankenheim-Brown pitched all seven innings and struck out six to earn the winning decision, improving her season record to 11-7.
Emerson was led by senior Kayla Nuehlin (Wolcott, Conn.) and sophomore Riley Fasteau (Silver Spring, Md.). The pair each finished with two hits, but were both left stranded on the base paths. Junior Caleigh Sheehan (Bolton, Conn.) suffered the losing decision as she hurled six complete innings on four earned runs and four hits, as well as five walks issued.
Wheaton wasted no time in putting a run on the board. The bottom of the first saw Molinari lead off with her only hit of the day before advancing to third off an Arcand single and Emerson throwing error. With two runners in scoring position and one out, Bryan only needed to put the ball in play. She executed perfectly with a fielder's choice to shortstop which scored Molinari. Blankenheim-Brown pitched around a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second to keep Wheaton in front.
Neither team scored until the fifth inning. Blankenheim-Brown was able to keep the Lions hitless through three frames to preserve Wheaton's 1-0 lead further, and the insurance came in the bottom of the fifth. Boucher came up to bat with the bases loaded and had to overcome a grueling 14-pitch battle to reach base safely on the 15th with a single to left field. The marathon at-bat yielded a run for Wheaton and kept the bases loaded, allowing Falcioni to knock in a run with a ground out. Leading 3-0, Blankenheim-Brown now had a larger margin to work with as the game flipped over to the sixth.
Emerson went down in order to start the sixth, and first year
Julia Miller (Cheshire, Conn.) came home on a wild pitch to put Wheaton ahead 4-0. Blankenheim-Brown worked two quick outs in the top of the seventh before fighting for a nine pitch strikeout to end the game with emphasis. The Lyons took down the Lions 4-0 to start the doubleheader with a win.
Wheaton and Emerson will play game two of the conference doubleheader today at 2:25 p.m. on Clark Softball Field.
