Clermont, FL. – The MIT softball team held off two late game comeback attempts to improve to 8-0 with a 13-12 win over Amherst and a 6-4 win over the University of Chicago on Saturday afternoon in Clermont, Fla. at the Legends Way Ballfields.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- Game 1: MIT 13, Amherst 12
- Game 2: MIT 6, University of Chicago 4
- Records: MIT (8-0 Overall), Amherst (3-7 Overall), University of Chicago (7-6 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. AMHERST
- Layla Thiessen led off the first with a single, and Maggie Feng walked and scored on a double from Ava Ladd. Ladd scored the third run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Lauren Sundquist.
- Amherst quickly responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring five runs.
- Arianna Kumar hit a two-out double and came around to score on a game-tying homer by Sundquist in the third.
- The Engineers put up five runs in the fourth on RBI hits from Olivia Scarpaci and Sundquist. Ladd hit a sacrifice fly, and Maggie Feng added a two-run triple. The Mammoths added a run in the fifth to make it a 10-6 game.
- A single from Holland Poe in the sixth put MIT up 11-6, but Amherst began to chip away at the Engineer lead as a two-run homer from Abby Moravek in the bottom of the inning cut the MIT lead to three.
- Ladd singled home two insurance runs in the top of the seventh as her single plated Delaney Benevides and Scarpaci.
- Two singles and an error loaded the bases for Jayla Adkins who hit a two-out grand slam to make it a one run lead. Another error put the tying run on base, but Dylan Briggs flied out to Benevides in center to end the game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- All nine MIT starters got a hit as Scarpaci led the way for MIT, going a career-best 4-4 in the game. Kumar had three hits while Thiessen, Ladd, Sundquist, Julia Mattiace and Benevides all had two hits.
- Ladd knocked in a career-high five runs.
- Sundquist hit her first collegiate homer, finishing 2-4.
- Sarah Blackett got the win, throwing six innings to move to 4-0.
- Lulu Leppard, Dylan Briggs, and Brooke Wild all had three hits for Amherst.
HOW IT HAPPENED vs. UCHICAGO:
- MIT raced out to a 6-0 lead after one. With two outs, Kumar singled home Thiessen and after a walk to Sundquist, Poe made it a 3-0 game with a double to right center. Scarpaci and Poe traded placed to increase the MIT lead to four, and Nicole Johnston followed with another double to left to increase the lead to five and Benevides hit the fourth double of the frame to make it 6-0.
- Chicago hit three singles in the third to load the bases for Mia Bocian who fouled out to Scarpaci at first who then threw home to get Sedona Ding out at the plate and end the frame.
- Natalie Antin doubled home Ding for the first run of the day for the Marrons.
- In the sixth, Chicago plated three runs to cut the MIT lead to two. A two-out single from Anna Jensen plated the second run for Chicago and a double from Hannah Schwager and another single from Ding plated the fourth run of the day for the Marrons.
- Audrey Hui reached on an error in the seventh, but Mia Bocian flied out to center, but Emily Watson got Matilda Nelson looking to end the game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Watson went the full seven for her second win of the season.
- Kumar and Scarpaci each had two hits in the game.
- Poe led the way for MIT with two RBI.
- Ding led the way for UChicago with three hits.
UP NEXT:
- MIT continues its Spring Break trip in Clermont, Fla. With two more games tomorrow, Sunday, March 22. The Engineers will take on Wooster at 10:00 AM followed by a 2:45 PM contest against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
STAY CONNECTED:
