NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The MIT softball team used a seventh inning rally in game two to earn a doubleheader sweep of Smith on Friday afternoon at the Smith Softball Field.
Delaney Benevides secured her 100th career hit in game one while Holland Poe had four hits and five RBI, including the game-winning single in game two.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- Game 1: MIT 9, Smith 0
- Game 2: MIT 5, Smith 3
- Records: MIT (29-7 Overall, 14- 4 NEWMAC); Coast Guard (16-15 Overall, 10-9 NEWMAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE:
- Delaney Benevides collected her 100th career hit to lead off the third and Layla Thiessen followed with an infield single. Ava Ladd then homered to center to give MIT a 3-0 lead.
- Back-to-back singles from Thiessen and Ladd set up Arianna Kumar who doubled to center to give MIT a 5-0 lead in the fourth. The Engineers tacked on two more as a bases loaded error on a batted ball by Maggie Feng plated the sixth MIT run, and Benevides was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to increase the MIT lead to seven.
- Holland Poe hit her third homer of the season as her shot to right put MIT up 9-0 in the sixth. Emily Watson retired the Bears in order to secure the 9-0 win in six innings.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Benevides becomes the fourth Engineer to reach the 100-hit mark this season.
- Ladd finished 2-4 with two runs scored and three RBI and now has 96 career RBI.
- Poe went 2-4 with two RBI.
- Thiessen and Kumar led the way with three hits each.
- Watson earned her 10th win and first complete game shutout of the year. She allowed just five hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
- Ally Knutson led Smith with two hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO:
- MIT loaded the bases in the first but got just one run across on a fielding error by Smith.
- A three-run fifth gave Smith the lead. The Bears got their first run off an Engineer error and Sophie Hasegawa singled home two more runs to put the home team up 3-1.
- Feng doubled to lead off the seventh and scored on a single by Thiessen. After Ladd reached on an error, Kumar singled home Thiessen with the tying run. Poe then hit a two-run single with two outs to give the Engineers the 5-3 lead.
- Gabbie Chinnis singled in the seventh but was left stranded as the Engineers completed the sweep.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Ladd and Poe led MIT with two hits each while Poe had a game-high three RBI.
- Sarah Blackett tossed the first 4.2 innings for MIT, allowing three runs, all unearned, on six hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Sharona Huang got the win to improve to 11-3 as she allowed one hit, one run and one walk in 2.1 innings.
- Bailey Gray went all seven for Smith and falls to 7-7. She allowed eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
UP NEXT:
- MIT wraps up the regular tomorrow, Saturday, May 2 with a doubleheader against Coast Guard. The games will be played at Rotch Field in Boston, Mass. with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 PM.
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