Softball Takes One from Newbury in Home Opener

BOSTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology softball team split a pair of non-conference games with Newbury College on Tuesday afternoon at Carr Diamond. The Leopards move to 2-8 overall, while the Nighthawks shift to 4-6 this season.

GAME ONE: Wentworth 6, Newbury 5

The Nighthawks opened the scoring in their first at-bat, as sophomore Arianna Gooden (Bakersfield, Calif.) cracked a deep single to right, driving home classmate Mallory Stefan (Thornton, Colo.) and junior Alina Milauskas (Elkridge, Md.) on the play for the 2-0 lead. The Leopards answered back with two runs of their own, as senior Megan Berryman (Middleboro, Mass.) kicked off the inning with a ground-rule double to left field. With Berryman on second, freshman Brionna Myers (Seabrook, N.H.) swung into a single up the middle, scoring Berryman on the play for the 2-1 count. Freshman Kayla DeMedeiros (So. Dartmouth, Mass.) followed with another ground-rule double and an RBI, as Myers booked it home from second to tie the score, 2-2.

Junior Tina Babcock (Ayer, Mass.) worked a walk for the Nighthawks to open the second side, and advanced to third on a ground-rule double from senior Samantha Libby (New Gloucester, Mass.). With no outs down, Milauskas reached on an infield miscue, scoring Babcock, while Libby worked her way to third, and then scored on a Stefan single to left to give Newbury a 4-2 lead.

Strong pitching from Stefan kept the Leopards at bay for the time being, until the third inning when the home team plated three runs to take the lead, 5-4. The Leopards scattered three hits from Berryman, Myers and DeMedeiros, respectively, before DeMedeiros crossed home for the lead on an infield throwing error. Wentworth added its final run of unsure in the bottom of the fourth, as DeMedeiros batted a run in for the 6-4 score.

DeMedeiros would allow just three hits and one run across the final four innings, and caught Babcock on the swing to seal the deal for the Leopards in the seventh, with two outs down and ducks on second and third.

DeMedeiros pitched her third complete game in a Wentworth uniform, and fanned a career-high seven batters in the wining effort. Stefan took the loss on the hill for the Nighthawks, allowing six runs (four earned) with two strikeouts, and zero walks.

GAME TWO: Newbury 10, Wentworth 2 (Five Innings)

Newbury cracked 11 hits in the nightcap and again got its offense going early in the first inning. Milauskas began with a leadoff single to center to field, and found her way to third after a fielder's choice by Sass. Sass scrambled to second on a wild pitch from the Wentworth circle, but sharp defense got Milauskas out at home to keep the score at 0-0 for the time being. With two outs down, Gooden grounded out to third, scoring Stefan on the play, to give Newbury the early 1-0 advantage.

Wentworth responded in the bottom of the second, as Kelsey Gorski (Killingworth, Conn.) started off with a single to left and stole second. Junior Emily Winter (Stratford, Conn.) moved Gorski over to third on a bunt, and was then caught in a pickle while Gorski stole home for the 2-1 count.

Newbury went on an offensive tear, plating nine runs across the final three innings to Wentworth's lone run in the third - a dinger to left field from Berryman and the second of her career – for the 10-2 final over five innings.

Myers suffered the loss on the mound for Wentworth, allowing ten runs (nine earned), 11 hits, and four walks, while striking out four over 4.0 innings. Stefan earned the W for Newbury with two K's, a walk, and two earned runs.

Wentworth is back in action on Thursday for a home doubleheader against Mount Ida College, dependent on the impending snowstorm.

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