THE BASICS:

- Score: MIT - 5, No. 21 Susquehanna - 3

- Records: MIT (31-16), Susquehanna (27-8)

- Location: Ashland, Va. (Softball Field)

- The Lead: The MIT softball team took down No. 21 Susquehanna in the opening game of the Ashland Regional of the NCAA Tournament on Friday morning, 5-3. The Engineers entered as the three-seed in the regional and used a two-run sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie and send the second-seed River Hawks into the elimination bracket.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

- First-year Kennedy Adkison (San Jose, Calif.) led off the game with a double and senior Anya Chase (Wells, Maine) followed with a walk. A sacrifice bunt from first-year Mackenzie Bivin (San Diego, Calif.) got both into scoring position, and Adkison came home on a sacrifice fly by first-year Mikayla Cable (Valrico, Calif.) to put MIT up 1-0.
 
- Bivin executed another bunt in the third and a River Hawks throwing error allowed junior Jordan Sell (Schwenksville, Pa.) to score the second run of the day for MIT.
 
- Susquehanna tied the game in the bottom of the third on four-straight singles with one out. First-year Becca O'Connor (San Antonio, Texas) retired the next two batters on a strikeout and groundout to leave the bases loaded.
 
- MIT regained the lead in the fifth with Adkison leading off with a single and advancing to second on a throwing error. She then took third on a wild pitch and came around to score in a single to center from Cable.
 
- The River Hawks answered in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly from Hannah Roland tied the game, but Chase got a groundout to keep the game tied.
 
- First-year Dana Bell (Bensalem Pa.) laced a one-out double in the sixth, and senior Deborah Torres (Portage, Mich.) entered for Bell as a pinch-runner. Torres advanced to third on a groundout from sophomore Katia Pendowski (Elk Grove Village, Ill.), and senior Claire Wichman (Omaha, Neb.) worked a walk and stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Adkison then laced a single to right-center to plate both runners and give MIT a two-run lead.
 
- The River Hawks got a lead-off single, but Chase retired the next two hitters. Back-to-back singles loaded the bases for Susquehanna, but Chase got Nicole Plesh looking to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Adkison went a perfect 4-4 in the leadoff spot with two RBI and two runs scored while Cable went 1-3 with two RBI.
 
- Chase earned her 16th win of the season as she tossed four innings of six-hit ball. She allowed one run and two walks and struck out two. O'Connor went the first three innings and gave up six hits and two runs with a walk and five strikeouts.
 
- The River Hawks outhit the Engineers by a 12-7 margin.

UP NEXT:

- The Engineers are scheduled to play host Randolph-Macon tomorrow, Saturday, May 14 at 10 pm. The loser of that game will then take on the winner of the Susquehanna vs. Farmingdale St. game later in the day. Stay tuned for updates as there is impending weather that may impact the start times.  
 
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