Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 WORCESTER, Mass. – The Smith College softball team fell to host WPI, 3-2 and 15-2 (5 inn.) in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader on Friday afternoon.
Clare Doolin earned the victory in the circle in both games, while freshman Kristin Gallagher blasted a grand slam for her first career homerun and Nicole McDonough went 4-for-4 at the plate in the nightcap as WPI racked up 15 hits over a five-inning mercy rule win.
Doolin was sharp all afternoon, tossing three hitless innings in relief of Caroline Medino in the opener. She allowed three hits and just one earned run in the second game to pick up her 10th victory.
WPI (18-7, 7-4 NEWMAC) resumes action with another doubleheader on Saturday, kicking off at noon at NEWMAC-leading Wellesley. Smith is also back in action at noon tomorrow, kicking off a six-game home stand with a doubleheader against Emerson.
The first game stayed close throughout as Smith starter
Gina Martucci (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Township), who had two base knocks as a hitter, gave up lone runs in the second, third and sixth innings.
Juliana Fekete scored on a Katie Bumila fielder's choice to put WPI ahead for good in the bottom of the second inning.
They added another run in the second on a double steal, as Jacquelyne DiTroia swiped home as Gallagher drew the throw to second base.
Smith leveled it at 2-2 in the fifth inning as
Sarah Tully (West Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) and
Joanna Giordano (South Salem, N.Y./John Jay) both scored.
Lauren DiFelice knocked in the winning run in the sixth, sending a double down the left field line to plate Fekete and set the final score.
The Pioneers (11-9, 4-8 NEWMAC) scored the first two runs of the nightcap, with Tully driving in
Ruth Zimmerman (Edison, N.J./John P. Stevens) one out into the game.
Giordano reached on a throwing error in the top of the second and came all the way around to make it 2-0 on the same play.
The Boynton Hillers struck back with three runs in the bottom half of the second and then added six more runs in each of the third and fourth innings.
McDonough got the scoring started with an RBI double to center, while Gallagher followed with another two-bagger, driving in both Bumila and McDonough to send WPI in front 3-2, with Doolin only allowing one more Pioneers hit thereafter.
Gallagher's grand slam highlighted the second inning, but Amanda Pierce preceded that game-changing blast with a run-scoring double to left that scored Ali LaRue to get the rally going. Julia Ring drove in Pierce with a base hit in the next at bat.
LaRue tripled with one out in the fourth to start another six-run outburst. Lindsay Gurska and Bumila both had run-scoring singles, while Ring smacked an RBI double and Fekete a two-run double to round out the scoring.
Release by Carl Setterlund - WPI Athletics Intern - Emerson '14
