Game 10 - No. 7 Coast Guard 2, No. 1 WPI 4 - Final 

WORCESTER -- Top-seeded and No. 12 WPI defeated No. 7 Coast Guard, 4-2, in an elimination game of the NEWMAC Softball Tournament on Saturday morning at Rooftop Field. The Engineers improve to 40-3 and advance to the championship round, while the Bears conclude their season at 19-18.
 
WPI used a two-run sixth inning to break a tie game, while Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) delivered a complete-game performance in the circle to secure the win.

Lucy Latour (North Dighton, MA) scored twice and drove in a run, while Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, Mass.) and Liz Jordan (Yardley, Pa.) each scored a run, and Ali Chalovich (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added a hit.
 
Merchant improved to 24-0 on the season, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits while striking out seven. Dana Walker (Macon, Ga.) took the loss for Coast Guard despite allowing just one earned run over six innings.
 
Coast Guard struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on a WPI error to take a 1-0 lead. The Engineers answered in the fourth, scoring twice on a throwing error that brought home Latour and Sherwood to give WPI a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Bears evened the score in the sixth on an RBI double from Bridget Bartz (Arlington, Va.), but WPI responded immediately in the bottom half. Latour delivered an RBI single to plate Jordan, and Fairbairn followed with an RBI double to extend the lead to 4-2.
 
Merchant closed out the game in the seventh to send WPI into the title round.
 
WPI advances to face second-seeded MIT later Saturday for the NEWMAC Championship. With one loss in the double-elimination format, the Engineers will need to defeat MIT twice to claim the title.

Game 11 - No. 2 MIT 6, No. 1 MIT 7 - Final (10) 

WORCESTER -- Top-seeded and No. 12 WPI rallied past second-seeded and No. 25 MIT, 7-6 in 10 innings, in Game 11 of the NEWMAC Softball Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Rooftop Field. The Engineers improve to 41-3, extending a program-record win total, while MIT drops to 33-8 as the teams will meet again in a winner-take-all championship game on Sunday. 

WPI's Lucy Latour (North Dighton, Mass.) delivered one of the defining moments, launching a game-tying three-run home run in the fifth before driving in the tying run in the 10th. Sandy Fairbairn (Norton, MA) followed with a walk-off single to cap the comeback.
 
Latour finished with two hits and four RBI, while Fairbairn added two hits, including a home run, and three RBI.  Liz Jordan (Yardley, Mass.) reached base and scored in the fifth-inning rally, and Riley O'Brien (Wynantskill, N.Y.) and Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) each contributed key late hits as WPI totaled seven runs on seven hits.
 
Kaitlyn Barr (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) earned the win, delivering her longest outing of the season with seven innings of relief, allowing two runs, none earned, on six hits. Abby Merchant (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) started and allowed four runs over three innings.
 
For MIT, Sharona Huang (Duluth, Ga.) took the loss after 5.0 innings of strong relief, while Emily Watson (Weddington, NC) started and allowed five runs over 4.2 innings. MIT's offense was paced by Poe, who tallied three hits and two RBI, while Ava Ladd (Austin, Texas) added three hits and the go-ahead RBI in the 10th.

MIT struck first with two runs in the opening inning, manufacturing the rally as Layla Thiessen (Carlsbad, Calif.) singled and Ladd doubled to put two runners in scoring position before Arianna Kumar (San Diego, Calif.) lifted a sacrifice fly, and Poe followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0.

WPI answered immediately in the bottom half when Latour was hit by a pitch and Virginia McKinney (Larchmont, N.Y.) reached on a fielder's choice, setting up Fairbairn's two-run home run to left that tied the game.
 
MIT continued to apply pressure in the second when Maggie Feng (Brookfield, Wis.) connected for a solo home run to regain the lead. In the third, Lauren Sundquist (Gladstone, Mich.) doubled and later scored on a single from Scarpaci to push the advantage to 4-2. MIT added another run in the fourth, taking advantage of a WPI throwing error before Poe delivered a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-2.
 
WPI's momentum shifted in the fifth. With one out, Stella Kozak (Hinsdale, N.H.) worked a walk before a fly out, WPI down to its final out of the inning. Jordan then kept the rally alive with a soft opposite-field bloop single, bringing the tying run to the plate. Latour followed by blasting a three-run home run to right field that cleared the stadium, tying the game at 5-5.
 
From there, both teams traded threats in a tense stretch. MIT put runners in scoring position in the sixth, including advancing a runner to third after a throwing error, but WPI escaped without allowing a run. In the eighth, Poe doubled and a runner advanced to third, but the Engineers again worked out of trouble.
 
WPI threatened in the ninth as O'Brien singled and Destiny Lum (Kahalu'u, HI) followed with a pinch-hit single to put runners on the corners with two outs, but MIT held the line to force extra innings. 
 
MIT took the lead in the 10th under the international tiebreaker. Ladd singled through the infield to drive in the placed runner and give the Engineers a 6-5 advantage.
 
WPI answered immediately. With Meg Sherwood (Norfolk, Mass.) placed on second, she advanced to third on a two-strike groundout from Jordan before Latour lined a single up the middle to tie the game. After moving into scoring position on a wild pitch, Latour came home moments later when Fairbairn delivered a walk-off single to center field, sealing the 7-6 victory. 
 
WPI and MIT will compete for the NEWMAC Championship on Sunday at 1 pm at Rooftop Field.  The two squads have combined to win the last four NEWMAC titles, with Cambridge's Engineers claiming the last three.

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.