WPI STIFLES SOFTBALL IN 8 INNING THRILLER, 2-0
CLERMONT, Fla. – For the second time in as many days the Emmanuel College Softball team needed eight innings to decide a contest at the National Training Center games at Foundation Academy but this time the Saints were on the opposite end of the decision, falling 2-0 to WPI on Monday afternoon. EC falls to 2-2 overall while WPI starts off their 2016 campaign with a 1-0 mark.
CLERMONT, Fla. – For the second time in as many days the Emmanuel College Softball team needed eight innings to decide a contest at the National Training Center games at Foundation Academy but this time the Saints were on the opposite end of the decision, falling 2-0 to WPI on Monday afternoon. EC falls to 2-2 overall while WPI starts off their 2016 campaign with a 1-0 mark.
Following seven scoreless innings and an incredible pitcher's duel between Emmanuel junior Jill Kilcoyne (Worcester, Mass.) and WPI senior Clare Doolin (Newton, Mass.), the Engineers jumped out and grabbed two runs in the top of the eighth which proved to be all the offense they'd need for the win.
Sophomore Ama Biney (Worcester, Mass.) started the inning at second for WPI with the international tie-breaker rules. With the heart of their order coming up, the Engineers opted to not play small ball and it paid off as junior Kristin Gallagher (Coventry, R.I.) drew a walk, taking ball four on a call that could have gone either way. With two on and no out, freshman designated player Caraline Wood (Averill, Park) looped a single to right but Biney had to hold up long enough to see if the ball would be caught and was unable to score, loading the bases for right fielder RiAnna May (Westminster, Colo.). May smoked a ball down the left field line for a two-RBI single to bring around Biney and Gallagher for the game's only runs. Kilcoyne was able to work her way out of the frame allowing just the two to keep the game within striking distance.
In the bottom of the eight, the Saints inserted pinch runner Samantha Adams (Sanford, Maine) at second. After Doolin retired the first two EC hitters, senior shortstop Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.) reached on an error to put runners at the corners and the tying run on base. Senior Kerrianne Vulpis (East Rockaway, N.Y.) worked the count full but Doolin won the battle getting a called third strike for her 11th K of the afternoon to end the game.
Wood and May combined to for 5-for-8 out of the four and five spots in the Engineer's lineup.
Davis registered the only hit for the Saints with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first.
Doolin starts her senior campaign off with a 1-0 mark while Kilcoyne falls to 0-2 on the year despite allowing just one earned run over eight innings while striking out 10.
The Saints are back in action tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM against Monmouth (Ill.).