Softball falls 15-1, 15-2 in sweep by Wheaton
Season record for Engineers now 7-17
Wheaton College jumped out to a pair of early leads during a doubleheader sweep of MIT softball on Sunday afternoon. The Lyons outscored the Engineers 30-3 in the two games, which were the final home contests of the 2010 campaign for the Engineers, who fell to 7-17 (3-11 NEWMAC).
Wheaton broke open game one with an eight-run third inning en route to the 15-1, five-inning win. Nine different Lyons scored in the game, led by leadoff hitter Amanda Poplaski, who crossed the plate three times. Lesley Warn kept the Tech bats in check, allowing just three hits and one run over five innings.
Wheaton scored six of its eight runs in the third with two outs, and 12 batters came to the plate in the inning. Megan Roy had a key two-run double and came around to score on a pair of wild pitches. The Lyons added two more runs when Poplaski’s single up the middle got past MIT centerfielder, Keri A. Dixon ’11.
The Engineers started the scoring in their half of the first, as Jessica M. Oleinik ’11 singled with two outs, moved up to second on Dixon’s walk and came home thanks to a defensive miscue by the Wheaton shortstop. Wheaton took the lead with three runs in the second, led by a ground-rule double from Roy that scored a pair of baserunners.
The visitors would also add four more runs in the fifth to close out the game one win.
The Wheaton offense wasted little time getting going in game two, striking for four unearned runs in the first as the MIT defense committed four errors in the frame. The Lyons would add four more runs in the second inning and capped the game with a six-run fifth.
Wheaton’s Nicole DeRosa was three-for-four in game two with four runs and three RBI to finish the day with four hits, six runs five RBI. Roy finished the afternoon with a team-high six RBI. Warn again earned the win in the nightcap, allowing five hits and two unearned runs in five innings.
For the Engineers, Maia R. Bageant ’11 had a career-high two hits in the second game, including her first ever extra-base hit, a double in the fourth inning. MIT seniors Lily L. Keung ’10 and Chelsea L. Ostrander ’10 were recognized, as the two played the final home games of their careers.
MIT will close out its regular season with a doubleheader on Friday, April 16 at Coast Guard. Friday’s games begin at 3 p.m.