BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology softball team combined to score 34 runs in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader sweep of Eastern Nazarene. With the wins the Leopards snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 8-11 overall and 3-5 in TCCC play.
Game one would see the Lions take a 1-0 lead in their opening at bat when junior Jacqueline Tierney (Taunton, Mass.) doubled in senior Stephanie Pestilli (Norwell, Mass.). The lead would not last long as junior Lizz Harvey (McConnellsburg, Pa.) hit a two-run single, which would give the Leopards the lead for good. An inning later, Wentworth plated three runs, with Harvey providing two of those with a two-out double.
After Eastern Nazarene cut the lead to 5-3 in the top of the third inning on a two-run double off the bat of junior Amber Burns (Fall River, Mass.), Wentworth broke the game open in the home half of the inning, scoring seven runs, with the big blast coming on a three-run home run from junior Bridget Souza (Medford, Mass.), while senior Cherie Dunn (Acton, Mass.) would also double in a pair. The fourth inning saw Wentworth tally six runs to round out the scoring.
Senior Caylee Johanson (Windsor, Conn.) picked up the win in the circle, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits. Offensively for the Leopards Harvey and Souza each drove in four runs, while senior Nicole Ferreira (Framingham, Mass.) had three hits. Burns went 2-for-3 with two RBI for the Lions, while freshman Jamie Block (Pembroke, Mass.) took the loss
Wentworth jumped out to a 9-0 lead over the first two innings of the nightcap, as Souza, Johanson, Ferreira, and sophomore Michele Harrington (New Paltz, N.Y.) each drove in runs in the first inning and the Leopards took advantage of five Lion errors in the second inning.
The Lions began to chip away in the third inning, scoring a run on an RBI single from Pestilli, but did extensive damage in the fourth inning, scoring nine times – all with two outs. Junior Bethany Greenfield (Parsippany, N.J.) belted a two-run home run to deep left and had an RBI double in her second trip to the plate in the inning. Eastern Nazarene would send 14 batters to the dish during the nine-run outburst and led, 10-9, after three and a half.
Wentworth regained the lead in the home half of the fourth on a two-run double from junior Jen Giudice (Central Valley, N.Y.), but the Lions took a 12-11 after four and a half as Pestilli and Block each drove in runs. The Leopards took the lead for good in the home half of the inning, scoring two times on a Harrington single and a Dunn ground out and took a 13-12 lead into the sixth inning, before taking advantage of five Eastern Nazarene errors in the sixth to score three more runs.
Johanson improved to 7-10 on the year, while Harrington went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs. Giudice and Souza also tallied three hits, while each drove in two runs. For Eastern Nazarene, Block, freshman Leann Abbott (Sumner, Maine), and junior Laura Giberson (Hingham, Mass.) had three hits and Greenfield drove in three. Block fell to 2-6 with the losses.
Wentworth steps out of conference tomorrow for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader against Mass. Maritime. Eastern Nazarene fell to 2-14 (1-7) and hosts Regis tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
