NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — The Smith College softball team was swept by No. 24 MIT in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader on Friday afternoon at the Smith Softball Field, falling 9-0 in a run-rule shortened opener and 5-3 in the nightcap. The Bears (16-19, 8-10 NEWMAC) were unable to overcome a 12-hit Engineers attack in Game 1 and a four-run MIT seventh in Game 2.
Game 1: MIT 9, Smith 0 (6 inn.)
MIT (28-7, 13-4 NEWMAC entering Game 1) broke a scoreless tie with a three-run third, capped by a three-run home run from Ava Ladd, then tacked on four runs in the fifth — including a solo shot from Holland Poe — and added two more in the sixth to invoke the eight-run rule. Layla Thiessen led the Engineers' offense, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Arianna Kumar finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
In the circle, MIT's Emily Watson tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering five hits and one walk while striking out two on just 53 pitches. Violet Peverly (Granby, CT/Loomis Chaffee) took the loss for the Bears, allowing six runs (five earned) over four innings. Alana Robinson (Benicia, CA/Benicia) worked the final two frames in relief.
Offensively, Ally Knutson (Green Bay, WI/Bay Port) led Smith with a 2-for-3 effort that included a double, while Riley Veenstra (Oakland, CA/Bishop O'Dowd), Sophie Hasegawa (Palos Verdes Estates, CA/Palos Verdes), and Taz Tamai (Cincinati, OH/The Seven Hills School) each added a single.
Game 2: MIT 5, Smith 3
Smith battled toe-to-toe with the Engineers in the nightcap, taking a 3-1 lead with a three-run fifth before MIT erupted for four runs in the top of the seventh to flip the result. Tamai opened the Bears' rally with a leadoff single, and Knutson added a two-out single to put runners on the corners. Gabbie Chinnis (Charleston, SC/Charleston County School of Arts) reached on a fielding error that brought home Tamai, and Sophie Hasegawa (Palos Verdes Estates, CA/Palos Verdes) followed with an RBI single, advancing to second on a throwing error that allowed Chinnis to score and pushed the Bears' lead to 3-1.
MIT answered in the seventh. Maggie Feng led off with a double, Thiessen delivered an RBI single, and Kumar added a two-out RBI double to even the score at 3-3. Poe then ripped a two-run single to right to put the Engineers in front for good. Poe finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Bailey Gray (Missouri City, TX/Ridge Point) went the distance for Smith, allowing five runs (just one earned) on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts across seven innings of work. Sharona Huang earned the win in relief for MIT, retiring seven of the 10 batters she faced over 2.1 scoreless innings. Knutson paced the Bears at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Hasegawa drove in two and Chinnis added a hit, a run, and an RBI.
Up Next
Smith closes the regular season with another NEWMAC doubleheader on Saturday, May 2 at Wellesley College, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. in Wellesley, Mass.
About Smith Athletics
Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information, log on to GoSmithBears.com and follow the Bears on Facebook and Instagram.
