WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology softball team cracked off the 2023 season with two wins in opening day, as the Black & Gold held on against Marietta 6-5 before grabbing an 8-5 win over Rivier in the second game of the day.

 
GAME ONE: WENTWORTH 6, MARIETTA 5

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth came out swinging at the top of the first inning, as freshman Kyla Igawa (Long Beach, Calif.) brought in two scorers, graduate student Alexandra Pina (Cumberland, R.I.) and senior Kaitlin Pettenger (Budd Lake, N.J.), on a double to right field.
• At the top of the second, graduate student Briana Beverly (Pawcatuck, Conn.) managed to snag a hold of second on an error in right field, bringing in Pettenger and senior Erin Hancock (Holden, Mass.) to score for the Leopards and giving the Black & Gold a 4-0 advantage.
• At the top of the third, Hancock drove in senior Julia Bollentin (South Kingstown, R.I.) to add a score to Wentworth's lead at 5-0.
• After Marietta notched two scores across the fourth and fifth innings to mark a 4-2 score, sophomore Katelin Howe (Bow, N.H.) drove in freshman Julie Schriver (Moscow, Pa.) to bring the Leopards' lead to 6-2.
• Marietta came within striking distance in the final going, getting a home run to bring themselves within one. However, Schriver stood tall on the mound, earning the Black & Gold their first win of the season.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today marked the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

GAME TWO: WENTWORTH 8, RIVIER 5

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After Rivier got off to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Pettenger managed to score on a Bollentin foul, cutting Wentworth's deficit to one. Wentworth managed to take the lead by a 3-2 score in the bottom of the second on runs scored by sophomore Kayla Richard (High Point, N.C.) and freshman Kait Shawney (Northwood, N.H.).
• After another Rivier score at the top of the fourth to mark a 3-3 tie, Wentworth notched two scores on hits from Howe and Pettenger to drive in Richard and junior Annabelle Hebard (North Attleboro, Mass.) to bring the score to 5-3.
• After a Rivier run in the following inning, Pina was drove in by Bollentin to bring the Leopards' lead to two in a 6-4 score.
• Following a Rivier score in the top of the sixth, the Leopards notched two scores on hits right up the middle from Beverly and Pettenger to drive in Pettenger and freshman Quincy Bolduc (Deerfield, N.H.), giving the Black & Gold insurance in an 8-5 victory.
• On the mound, sophomore Jess Rowe (Yardley, Pa.) struck out six across just over three innings of action.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth has won the last two meetings between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards play Geneva (9:00 a.m.) and Elizabethtown (11:30 a.m.) in Auburndale, Fla. tomorrow morning.

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