This release is courtesy of Babson, Coast Guard and MIT Athletic Communications
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The NEWMAC completed four games in the chase to the conference crown on Saturday at MIT. Babson, MIT and Springfield have advanced to the final round of play to be completed on Sunday. MIT remains undefeated out of the three teams with Babson and Springfield holding one loss each. Babson and Springfield will square off on Sunday at 12pm, where the winner will then face MIT in a potential title game. An if necessary game is scheduedl for Monday.
Game 5: Babson 8, Wheaton 0 (6 inn.)
O'Reilly struck out four and allowed just two hits to earn her fourth shutout of the year while improving to 18-6 with the win. Junior Molly Hennessy (Tallahassee, Fla.) went 2-for-3 with two doubles and four RBI and senior Lexi Morris (Lexington, Mass.) was 2-for-3 with a triple and three runs scored. Classmate Kate Karamouzis (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) singled, walked three times and scored three runs in the victory.
The Green and White loaded the bases without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the first and took the lead when junior Caroline Taylor (Biddeford, Maine) scored on a wild pitch. Hennessy followed with a double to left that plated Morris and Karamouzis to make it 3-0.
Hennessy smoked a two-out double to center to extend the Beavers' lead to 5-0 in the third and sophomore Athena Hadjipanayis (Rye, N.Y.) came home on Taylor's sacrifice fly in the fourth stretching the margin to 6-0. Morris tripled to start the sixth and scored on an RBI single by Karamouzis and Hadjipanayis ended the game with a two-out RBI base hit up the middle.
Junior Sofia Knopf (Norton, Mass.) allowed five earned runs on three hits and three walks to go along with three strikeouts over 2.2 innings and dropped to 10-9 on the year with the loss.
Game 6: Coast Guard 3, WPI 2
The Bears topped WPI for a final score of 3-2 in Game Six on Saturday afternoon.
The WPI Engineers got an unearned score off a wild pitch. CGA immediately answered back in the bottom of the inning after Lillia Farlow hit a two-run double to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Isabelle Shroyer hit an RBI to increas the Bears lead to 3-1.
The Engineers would only be able to add one more to the scoreboard in teh top of the sixth. Their efforts would not be enough to top the Bears defense and they would ultimately fall 3-2.
Shroyer went two for three at the plate with one RBI in the game. Selena Serna was one for one at the plate, and Farlow was one for three with two RBIs.
In the circle for the Bears, Freshman pitcher Dana Walker threw seven strikeouts in seven innings and only allowed three hits in the entire game.
Game 7: Babson 2, Coast Guard 0
O'Reilly was superb against the Bears striking out six and allowing just two hits while facing just two batters over the minimum to improve to 19-6 with her third victory of the tournament. Karamouzis went 2-for-3 with two RBI and sophomore Sara Moore (Kennett Square, Pa.) doubled and scored for the Beavers in the win.
Babson took the lead in the first as Moore led off with an opposite-field double and scored on a one-out single to right center by Karamouzis. The Green and White added to its lead in the third as Taylor reached on a one-out fielding error, advanced to second on a ground out and third on a passed ball before scoring on a single up the middle by Karamouzis to make it 2-0.
O'Reilly recorded back-to-back strikeouts after giving up a one-out triple to junior Christine Carey (San Diego, Calif.) in the first and set down the final 16 batters she faced following classmate Isabelle Shroyer's (Marysville, Ohio) infield single with two outs in the second.
Shroyer (14-7) shouldered the loss after giving up two runs over 2.2 innings
Babson will face second-seeded Springfield in another elimination game on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Game 8: MIT 7, Springfield 2
Top seed and No. 21 MIT softball advanced to the Championship Bracket of the 2023 NEWMAC Softball Tournament as the Engineers defeated No. 2 seeded Springfield 7-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Mikayla Cable (Valrico, Fla.) walked in the first run of the day for MIT in the first inning, and sophomore Mackenzie Bivin (San Diego, Calif.) gave the Engineers a 2-0 lead in the third with a sacrifice fly.
The Pride put two runners on in the fourth with two outs, but first year Caroline Langmeyer (Upper Arlington, Ohio) got Kristen Acocalla swinging to end the inning.
Junior Katia Pendowski (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) drilled a two-out solo homer to center to kick-start a five-run sixth for the Engineers. Senior Jordan Sell (Schwenksville, Pa.) singled home the fourth MIT run, and senior Haley Samuelsen (Houston, Texas) crossed home on a Pride error. First year Ava Ladd (Austin, Texas) and sophomore Kennedy Adkison (San Jose, Calif.) knocked in the sixth and seventh runs of the inning.
Springfield added two runs in the seventh with one out, but Langmeyer got the next two Pride hitters swinging to end the game.
Langmeyer improved to 18-4 with the complete game win. She allowed two unearned runs on seven hits. She walked two and struck out nine. Ladd went 4-4 with three runs and one RBI for MIT. Adkison and Pendowski recorded two hits each. Amelia DeRosa went 4-4 with an RBI for Springfield.
MIT will take on the winner of the 12 p.m. game which features Babson and Springfield at 2 p.m. in the Championship round of the NEWMAC Tournament.