Wheaton Walks Off With Two Non-Conference Wins vs. Softball; 2-1 & 8-7

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Game 1: Wheaton, 2 – Emmanuel, 1 (8 innings)
Game 2: Wheaton, 8 – Emmanuel, 7

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (18-16, 6-2 GNAC North)
Wheaton College Lyons (22-12, 8-6 NEWMAC South)

Location: Norton, Mass. – Clark Softball Field

Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

THE LEAD – Wheaton College walked off a pair of non-conference victories over Emmanuel College Tuesday afternoon at the Clark Softball Field in Norton, Mass. The Lyons registered a 2-1 win in Game 1 thanks to a walk-off homer by junior Lindsey Oliveira (Westport, Mass.) in the eighth inning before posting an 8-7 win in Game 2 on a walk-off sac fly from junior Jill Ceddia (Hopkinton, Mass.) in the bottom of the seventh to give the hosts the sweep.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)

• Following seven scoreless innings, Game 1 came down to the international tie-breaker to settle a pitcher's duel between EC senior Tianna Dawe (Lynn, Mass.) and Wheaton junior Sofia Knopf (Norton, Mass.).
• The Saints struck first as the ghost runner, senior Lylah Niederberger (Buzzards Bay, Mass., advanced to third on a fly out to start the eighth. Senior Julyanne Pacheco (Somerset, Mass.) pushed Niederberger home with a safety squeeze bunt play for the RBI to give the Saints a 1-0 lead. Knopf limited the damage to the single run, retiring the next two batters to head to the bottom half of the inning trailing by one.
• Wheaton followed suit as junior Bryanna Agan (Averill Park, N.Y.) sacrificed sophomore Juliette Zito (Woodbridge, Conn.) from second to third to open the inning but it wouldn't matter as Oliveira blasted a two-run homer to walk off with the 2-1 win.
• Knopf took a no-hitter into the seventh before EC sophomore Madison Marks (Edgewater Park, N.J.) connected on a lead-off double to centerfield but the Lyons stranded her in scoring position to keep it a 0-0 contest.
• In the bottom of the frame, first year Lily Platt (Hallowell, Maine) led off with a single and moved over to second via a sac bunt to represent the winning run. Knopf singled to left but the ball was hit hard enough to keep Platt from holding at third. Dawe then worked out of the jam to record the final two outs to send the game into extras.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 1)

• Knopf picked up the win to improve to 10-5 on the year allowing just the one unearned run on one hit while striking out five.
• Dawe was the tough-luck loser and drops to 9-13 overall, scattering eight hits over 7 1/3 innings of work.
• Wheaton sophomore centerfielder Grace DiBacco (Selkirk, N.Y.) was the only player in the game to record multiple hits, going 2-for-3.
• This was the second walk-off win of the season for the Lyons over the Saints as sophomore Jillian Rohon (Southington, Conn.) connected on a walk-off homer in Wheaton's opener back on March 11 in Kissimmee, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)

• With the game knotted at 7-7, the Lyons loaded the bases in the seventh thanks to a pair of walks to give Ceddia the spotlight with one out. The junior lifted a high fly to right which was deep enough to give Platt time to scamper home for the winning run in the nightcap.
• Emmanuel jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to the long ball. Junior shortstop Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) led off with a solo shot and then drove in the second run of the day in the second to make it 2-0. She came in to make it 4-0 on a two-run homer by Chelak.
• Wheaton got all four back in the third to even the score at 4-4 with the big blow coming on a game-tying three-run blast by Oliveira for her second home run of the day.
• EC regained a 6-4 lead on a two-RBI single to center by Pacheco in the fourth but it was short lived as the hosts pushed three across in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-6 advantage thanks to a pair of unearned runs.
• In the sixth, Conti connected on her second solo shot of the game to pull the Saints even at 7-7 to set the stage for Wheaton's second walk-off of the afternoon.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS (GAME 2)

• Conti finished the game going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Her two homers move her to 22 career blasts to match Ashley Skey '19 for Emmanuel's program lead.
• Pacheco, Chelak and first year Madison Hinkley (Somers, Conn.) all collected two hits each for the Saints.
• Junior Allison Weston (West Islip, N.Y.) and Agan paced the Lyons with two hits each in the win.
• Working the final three innings, first year pitcher Brittany Dost (Centereach, N.Y.) earned the victory to improve to 4-0 on the year, surrendering just one run on one hit.
• Dawe worked the final 3 2/3 innings to register her second defeat of the day to fall to 9-14.

UP NEXT

• The Saints return to Clemente Field on April 28 for a Thursday night twinbill vs. Dean College starting at 5:00 PM in a make-up date from this weekend's rain. The Saints will honor its four seniors during the evening in a Senior Day ceremony.
• The Lyons host Coast Guard on Friday, April 29 at 3:00 PM in NEWMAC action.