Lyons snap losing streak, sweep softball doubleheader from MIT

April 6, 2006

CAMBRIDGE, MA- The Wheaton College softball team, ranked 12th in this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll, stopped a four-game losing streak behind a doubleheader sweep of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) counterpart Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2-1 and 3-1 Thursday at Briggs Field. The Lyons is 15-7 overall and 4-2 in the conference, while MIT is 2-10 and 1-3.

The Engineers struck first in game one, as senior Cheryl Texin (Lexington, MA/Lexington) doubled home the go-ahead run with two down in the first inning. The Lyons responded in the fifth, as junior Keely Nowosacki (Shrewsbury, MA/Shrewsbury) tripled with one down and scored when sophomore Abby Taylor (Wellesley, MA/Wellesley) reached on a two-out error. Taylor proceeded to steal second and third but was stranded.

The hosts constructed a rally in the bottom of the sixth, as sophomore Adrianne Hee (Kailua, HI/Kamehameha Schools) and Texin led off with consecutive singles, but Wheaton sophomore hurler Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) maintained the tie by fanning the next three batters.

The Lyons took advantage the following inning, as junior Jessica DePolito (Taunton, MA/Coyle and Cassidy) led off with a triple, and sophomore pinch-runner Meredith Gorton (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) scored on Nowosacki's one-out double. Moynagh faced four batters in the seventh, fanning two.

Nowosacki finished 2-for-3 as the Lyons recorded three hits, all for extra bases. Junior Nicole Lachance (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) walked twice out of the leadoff spot, while Moynagh allowed only the first-inning run while yielding five hits and two walks and striking out nine. Texin and freshman Stephanie Brenman (Newton, MA/The Winsor School) each went 2-for-3 for MIT, while freshman Leah Bogsted (Levittown, NY/MacArthur) picked up the loss despite allowing one earned run, striking out nine and walking two in seven innings.

In game two, the visitors tallied the first three runs. In the second inning, freshman Niki Gruttadauria (Gates Mills, OH/Hawken School) scored on sophomore Alix Brozman's (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) two-out infield single for a 1-0 lead. During the fifth, freshman Jessica DeRico (Griswold, CT/Griswold) doubled with one down before Brozman moved her to third with another hit. As Brozman swiped second, MIT committed a miscue that allowed DeRico to score and Brozman to come all the way around from second base.

Wheaton sophomore Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) held MIT's offense in check for much of the contest, facing three batters in each the second through sixth innings. The only Engineer to reach base during that time was wiped out on an inning-ending, 1-6-3 double play in the fourth, but MIT broke through in the seventh. Hee led off with a double into the right field corner and scored on Texin's single. With Texin at second with no one out, Lachance snagged a line drive at shortstop and flipped to second, where Gorton capped her superb defensive day by completing the double play. Poulton fanned the final hitter.

Brozman led the Lyons by going 3-for-3 out of the nine hole, Poulton batted 2-for-3, and Nowosacki doubled and walked. Poulton allowed only the seventh-inning run while yielding four hits, striking out eight and not walking a batter. Hee and Texin accounted for all of MIT's hits by each collecting two, and Bogsted was saddled with another loss after allowing Wheaton's first run while pitching the first two and last two innings of the contest.

The Lyons continue a stretch of eight games in four days with another NEWMAC doubleheader tomorrow. Wheaton travels to conference leader Babson College for a 2:00 p.m. start.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/8/06.
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