WORCESTER, Mass. - Hot hitting from WPI led to a doubleheader sweep of the Smith College softball team Saturday afternoon 9-4 and 17-3 at Rooftop Field. The Pioneers drop to 6-20 overall and 1-12 in the NEWMAC while the Engineers improve to 23-7 on the year and 13-1 in league play.

GAME 1: SMITH 4 WPI 9
Lindsay Ambrosino and Marissa Gonzales set the tone at the top of the lineup, with Ambrosino homering to center field on the Engineers' first at bat of the game to give the hosts an early shot in the arm. 

The Engineers took advantage of some pitching struggles in the third inning to tack on five more runs without registering a hit, as Smith walked the bases loaded and then senior captains Caraline Wood and Renee LeClaire, and junior Cassie Graca all scored on successive wild pitches. 

Taylor Ostrum also walked and then later scored on a double steal with Kylie Juarez, while Juarez came home on a ground out by Hailey McCasland to make it a 6-0 advantage through three innings. 

The opportunistic hosts put two more runs across in the fourth inning as Gonzales hit a leadoff single and then Graca walked with two outs to put runners on the corners. A throwing error as Graca stole second allowed by players to come around and score. 

The Pioneers got a couple runs back in the top of the fifth as Rachael Newhall (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) slapped a two-run single up the middle with Tyler Feeney (Merrimac, Mass./Pentucket Regional) and Stephanie Konas (Glenmont, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) in scoring position to cut it to 8-2.   

Gonzales added the Engineers' final run of the game in the sixth inning, singling, working her way around to third and then stealing home. 

The visitors rallied with two outs in the top of the seventh as Mel Regan (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) and Lucy Grant (Bethel, Conn./Notre Dame Catholic) each had RBI singles, driving in Konas and Newhall, before Phillips settled down to get the final out. 

GAME 2: SMITH 3 WPI 17 (5 INNINGS)

Smith briefly led in the top of the first of the second game, getting an RBI triple from Newhall (2 for 3) that drove in Makena Wagner (Hilo, Hawaii/Kamehameha Schools Hawaii). Two batters later, Newhall scored on a base hit from Grant (2 for 3) to make it 2-0 early on. 

The Engineers grabbed back the lead in the bottom half of the inning, as Ambrosino led off with a single, followed by three straight extra base hits.  

Gonzales doubled to left field to put runners in scoring position, and then Wood drove in both she and Ambrosino with a double to center. Wood (2 for 3) then scored to make it 3-2 as LeClaire (3 for 3) followed up with another double back to left field. 

LeClaire tagged up on a sacrifice fly by Juarez to cap a four-run first inning for WPI. 

Ambrosino and Gonzales both came in to score on a base hit to right field by LeClaire in the second inning to push the hosts' lead to 6-2, but it was the third inning when it all came together for the Engineers for an 11-run rally to put the game out of reach. 

WPI loaded the bases to start the third inning with singles by Juarez, Skylar O'Connell and McCasland. Ambrosino followed suit with a knock to center that drove in Juarez as nine straight batters reached base before Smith recorded an out. 

O'Connell and McCasland both scored as Gonzales reached on an error. Wood singled to load the bases again and then LeClaire followed that with an RBI single to center. 

Nicole Kuberka reached base and Gonzalez scored on an error at home, followed by a grounder up the middle by Graca to make it 12-2 still with no outs. 

O'Connell kept things going with a one-out RBI single to right and then Kaitlyn Hess walked with the bases loaded. Ambrosino and Gonzalez both provided run-scoring singles and then Wood had a sacrifice fly that Hess scored on to cap the rally. 

Konas smacked a solo homer to left field in the fourth inning to set the final score. 

UP NEXT
Smith will return to action on Tuesday, April 16 when it travels to Elms College for a non-conference doubleheader.

(Recap courtesy to WPI)

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is an NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.