Softball Drops Two at Wellesley
Wellesley, Mass. - The Wellesley College softball team swept a doubleheader against local rival Framingham State this afternoon in Wellesley. The Blue took game one, 9-2 and then won game two, 9-0 in five innings. The sweep improves Wellesley to 18-4 on the season, while the Rams fall to 6-12.
Wellesley scored first in game one, loading the bases with a walk and back-to-back singles from Brittany Bakacs (Millstone Township, NJ) and Megan Wood (Jacksonville, FL) before Sinta Cebrian (Seattle, WA) drew a walk to make the score 1-0. Alex Warren followed with a sacrifice fly to right, driving in Bakacs. Samantha Spiga (Perth Amboy, NJ) then singled to center, scoring Wood, to give the Blue a 3-0.
Framingham threatened in the second, when Taylor Ezold (Westfield, Mass.) doubled to left to lead off the inning. Ezold advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Megan Dumas (Holden, Mass.), but the Blue responded with a nifty play from shortstop Jesse Haladyna (St. John's, FL) to get Ezold at home and end the threat.
In the bottom half of the inning, Wellesley's Ilana Orloff (Weston, Mass.) drew a two-out walk and stole second. Bakack singled to left, driving in Orloff and giving the Blue a 4-0.
In the top of the third, Kristyna Smith (Orleans, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and stole second. A double from Katie Donovan (Holden, Mass.) scored Smith and trimmed the Wellesley lead to 4-1.
The Rams rallied again in the fourth, as Ezold, Dumas, and Kasey Phipps (Westford, Mass.) began the inning with three straight singles. But Wellesley hurler Alicia Briggs (Haverhill, Mass.) retired three consecutive batters to end the inning and maintain a three-run edge.
In the Wellesley half of the fourth, the Blue loaded the bases with no outs. Bakacs' fly to left scored Kimberly Cabral (Temecula, CA) and advanced Orloff and Haladyna to second and third. Wood followed with a single, driving in Haladyna. Cebrian's single then drove in Orloff, extending the Wellesley lead to 7-1.
After an uneventful fifth, the Rams mounted another charge in the sixth, when Christy Ulak's (Rehoboth, Mass.) two-out, bases-loaded single drove in Phipps and trimmed the lead to 7-2. Wellesley's Megan Wood moved to the mound in relief and fanned the first batter she faced to end the rally.
Bakacs answered for the Blue in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer over the centerfield fence, stretching the lead to 9-2. Wood then fanned three in the top of the seventh to secure the win for the Blue.
Donovan led the Rams in game one, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Ezold, Dumas and Phipps added two hits each. Morrissette (1-7) took the loss, allowing nine runs on 12 hits.
For the Blue, Bakacs was 3-for-3 with a homerun and four RBI. Wood had three hits and an RBI, and notched the save as well. Orloff tallied two hits, while Cebrian, Warren, Spiga, and Cabral added one hit each. Briggs grabbed the win, the first of her collegiate career, spreading out 10 hits while allowing only two runs, both earned.
Wellesley jumped to an early lead in game two as well, scoring one run in the first as Orloff scampered home on a bunt from Bakacs. The Blue added two more in the second, when Cebrian scored on a wild pitch and Haladyna plated Sarah Schwartzmeyer (Elba, NY) with an infield single.
The Blue broke things open in the third inning, adding three more runs to plate a 6-0 advantage. Wellesley benefited from a hit and two Framingham State miscues, with Haladyna picking up an RBI in the inning.
In the fourth inning, Wellesley put things out of reach, adding three more runs on four hits and one FSC error. Bakacs, Wood and Blesoff opened the inning with singles, while Cebrian stroked a two-RBI double to make it 9-0 in favor of the Blue.
Framingham State threatened in the top of the fifth inning, putting runners at first and second with two outs, on singles from Olivia D'Alessandro (Billerica, Mass.) and Alysia Morrissette (Ware, Mass.). However, Wellesley's Schwartzmeyer forced a fielder's choice to end the game, 9-0.
Cebrian led the home team in game two with two hits and two RBI, while Haladyna also plated two runs. Schwartzmeyer got the win, throwing five innings, allowing just three hits, while striking out five. Framingham State's Alyssa Shea (Lakeville, Mass.) suffered the loss, allowing three hits and two earned runs in two innings of work.
The Rams return to action on Saturday, April 10, at 1:00pm, when they host Bridgewater State in a MASCAC double-header. Wellesley will take the field on Saturday at noon in a key NEWMAC match-up at Springfield College.
Release courtesy of Wellesley College Sports Information.