Softball Takes First Two Conference Games of Season in Back-To-Back Shutouts of Curry

BOSTON, Mass –The Wentworth Institute of Technology softball team won its first two Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) games of the season, defeating Curry College 7-0 and 1-0 in their doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

GAME ONE: Wentworth 7, Curry 0

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Wentworth Batting Leaders: Kaitlin Pettenger (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2R), Alexandra Pina (2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1R)
Wentworth Pitching Leaders: Erin Hancock ((W, 4-2), 7 IP, 0 ER, 4H, 8K)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Junior Erin Hancock (Holden, Mass.) got off to a strong start on the mound, not allowing a hit in the opening inning. The Leopards took advantage and scored three runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior Briana Beverly (Pawcatuck, Conn.) got Wentworth started with a one-out double, and senior Alexandra Pina (Cumberland, R.I.) followed up with a single. With runners on second and third, senior Aurora Wilks (Fruitport, Mich.) connected on a two-run double to give the Leopards the early lead. Then with two outs, senior Sabrian Haarstick (Bellingham, Mass.) brought Wilks home with an RBI single to make it 3-0 after one.
• After Curry couldn't get anything going in the second, the Leopards continued to build their lead. With one out and a runner on first, junior Kaitlin Pettenger stepped to the plate and crushed a two-run homer over the right-centerfield fence, extending the lead to 5-0.
• Neither team was able to do anything offensively in the third, but the Colonels got the leadoff batter on in the fourth. However, Hancock, who allowed just four hits and one walk in a complete-game shutout, set Curry down in order after the leadoff hit.
• Both teams went down in order in their next turns at bat, but Wentworth got back to it offensively in the bottom of the fifth. After a leadoff double by Pettenger and a single by Beverly, Pina lined an RBI single to centerfield to bring home the sixth run of the day. Senior Ceilidh Higgins  (Medway, Mass.) then brought Beverly in with a one-out sacrifice fly, making it a 7-0 lead for the Leopards going into the sixth inning.
• The Colonels tried to break through in the sixth, and eventually put runners on first and second with two outs. But after a long at-bat, Hancock came through with a key strikeout to end the inning.
• Wentworth went down quickly in the sixth, but Hancock finished things off in the seventh, putting Curry down 1-2-3 in the final inning to close out the complete game 7-0 victory.

GAME TWO: Wentworth 1, Curry 0

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Wentworth Batting Leaders: Alexandra Pina (1-for-3, 2B), Kayla DeMedeiros (1-for-3, 1R)
Wentworth Pitching Leaders: Kayla DeMedeiros ((W, 4-2), 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3K)

• It was a pitcher's duel in game two, as graduate student Kayla DeMedeiros (South Dartmouth, Mass.) and Hailey King (Cranston, R.I.) both had strong performances in the latter matchup.
• The Leopards had a chance to get on the board in the bottom of the first, as Beverly connected on a one-out single followed by a double from Pina, but Wentworth left them stranded to end the first with no score.
• After the Colonels quickly went down in the second, the Leopards scored the game's only run in the bottom of the inning. DeMedeiros singled to lead off the inning, then advanced to third after a pair of groundouts. Freshman Katelin Howe (Bow, N.H.) then reached on an error with two outs, bringing in DeMedeiros to put Wentworth ahead 1-0.
• Both teams went down in order in the third, but Curry threatened in the top of the fourth. After a walk and a single, the Colonels had two runners on with one out. But DeMedeiros came through with a strikeout and groundout to get out of the inning and preserve the lead. The pitchers settled in after that, with both teams again going down 1-2-3 in their next turns at the plate. Pettenger picked up a one-out single in the fifth, but couldn't advance and was stranded at first.
• That was the last baserunner of the day, as DeMedeiros picked up two of her three strikeouts in the sixth to turn the Colonels aside, then the Leopards went down in order. DeMedeiros then picked up two groundouts and a lineout in the seventh to complete the two-hit shutout, as the Leopards won game two 1-0.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• This was the 51^st and 52^nd meetings between the two teams, with Curry now holding a 45-7 lead.

NEXT UP:

• The Leopards are right back at it Sunday, April 3, as they host Western New England University for a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

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