NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Smith College softball team continues New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action this weekend when the Pioneers travel to WPI on Friday and host Emerson Saturday.
Weekend Softball Schedule
Smith
Scout: The Pioneers aim to snap a four game losing streak and earn a much needed conference win this weekend. Smith is coming off two losses to Amherst College Wednesday afternoon. The team fought to the end but was unable to prevail in extra innings of game one as Amherst escaped with a 3-2 nine inning win and completed the sweep with a 5-3 victory in a shortened six inning game. In game one,
Natalie Burchat (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) took the loss as the junior pitched a complete game, allowing three runs (one earned) on 10 hits with two strikeouts and one walk while
Caroline Kushner (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) and
Alyssa Pioggia (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) each went 2-for-4. In game two,
Allison Snyder (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) hit a bomb to deep center field and pitcher Rowan Turner struck out seven for Smith with no walks in six innings of work and helped her cause at the plate, going 2-for-3. The Pioneers are led offensively by Turner (.377 BA, 26 Hits, 14 runs), Snyder (.318 BA, 21 Hits, 17 RBI) and Blokker (.324 BA, 23 Hits, 13 Runs). In the circle, Burchat has pitched 64.1 innings with a 3.81 ERA. Smith was chosen to finish seventh in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
WPI
All-Time Series Record: The Pioneers lead 35-23 in a series that dates back to 1986. Smith won 28-of-30 meetings in a stretch from 1995 to 2009.
Last Meeting: The Pioneers concluded their 2015 NEWMAC schedule with two losses to WPI on April 22. The Engineers took game one by a 7-6 score before taking the nightcap in five innings, 19-7.
Scout: At 21-5, WPI won their 10th straight with a game one victory against Worcester State before it was snapped by the Lancers in game two, 8-5. In the win, junior Lindsay Gurska and freshman Caraline Wood each batted 3-for-4 and combined for four RBI and three runs scored. In the loss, Kylie Juarez and Hope Shevchuck went 2-for-3 and combied for three runs scored and three RBI. The Crimson and Gray look to follow up NEWMAC championship game and NCAA Super Regional appearances this season. WPI is led by the program's first All-America, Murphy-Cook (.418 BA, 41 Hits, 25 SB), Ama Biney (.459 BA, 39 Hits, 22 RBI) and Lindsay Gurska (.460 BA, 40 Hits, 32 RBI). Pitcher Casey Arpin is ranked second in the NEWMAC in ERA (1.62) and first in saves (3), while Clare Doolin is second with 82 strikeouts. The Engineers were selected as the top team in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Emerson
All-Time Series Record: Dating back to 2005, this is just the fifth meeting between these two schools. Smith leads 3-2.
Last Meeting: Brittney Blokker (Seattle, Wash./Ballard) hit a home run, but the Lions rallied twice to sweep the Pioneers in NEWMAC play on April 11, 2015. Emerson took the first game 7-3 and completed the sweep in the nightcap, 5-4.
Scout: The Lions (8-20, 0-10) have lost 12 in a row as their last win came on March 25. In their last outing, Emerson dropped a doubleahder matchup with WPI 10-7 and 12-1. In game one, Courtney Fee went 2-for-2 while Kallista Leonardos and Katie Hill hit a combined 5-for-7 with two runs and four RBI in the second game. Freshman Kallista Leonardos leads Emerson batting .337 with 28 hits and 27 RBI. The Lions were picked to finish ninth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll and will play a doubleheader at Babson Friday afternoon.
2016 NEWMAC Softball Standings
| School |
Conference |
Overall |
| MIT |
10-0 |
19-5 |
| WPI |
9-1 |
21-5 |
| Wheaton |
7-3 |
13-9 |
| Springfield |
6-4 |
17-9 |
| Wellesley |
6-4 |
12-10 |
| Babson |
5-5 |
16-10 |
| Smith |
5-5 |
8-14 |
| Clark |
1-9 |
9-19 |
| Coast Guard |
1-9 |
8-22 |
| Emerson |
0-10 |
8-20 |
