Lachance's offense, junior hurlers twice send Wheaton past Smith

March 30, 2007

NORTHAMPTON, MA- Juniors Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) and Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) each spun shutouts, and senior Nicole Lachance (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) went 7-for-9 with seven RBI during the Wheaton College softball team's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader sweep, 14-0 in five innings and 7-0, at Smith College on Friday. The Lyons are now 8-8 overall and 2-0 in the league, while Smith fell to 4-8 and 0-2.

Wheaton banged out 14 hits and took advantage of eight Smith miscues in the opener. Lachance stroked the first pitch of the game back up the box, stole second and scored on senior Jessica DePolito's (Taunton, MA/Coyle and Cassidy) two-out single, and the Lyons never looked back. Junior Erika Marini (Pawtucket, RI/Saint Raphael Academy) and Lachance each had run-scoring hits during a two-run second to put Wheaton up 3-0.

The Blue and White put the game away by tallying 11 runs between the fourth and fifth innings. Five came home in the fourth on two hits and six errors, as Lachance and sophomore Brady Benton (Concord, NH/Concord) had the only RBI of the frame. Wheaton erupted for six more runs on six hits the following inning, as Lachance smacked a two-run single, and freshman Merry MacDonald (Braintree, MA/Braintree) and DePolito contributed RBI before Benton launched her second home run of the season, a two-run shot.

During her first outing in two and a half weeks, Poulton yielded just four hits and one walk while fanning three in the five-inning complete game. In recording her second shutout of the year, she stranded three Pioneers in the first inning before yielding only three base runners in the next four frames combined. Senior Dezarai Fisher (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista) took the loss, allowing only six earned runs in five innings while striking out three.

Lachance went 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI and a double from the leadoff spot, while Benton finished 3-for-4 with three RBI. Marini was 2-for-3 with three runs, DePolito added two hits and two RBI, and junior Meredith Gorton (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) laid down three sacrifices and scored twice.

In the second contest, Wheaton had at least two hits in every inning but needed the long ball to break open a scoreless game. Lachance capped a stretch of six straight at bats with a hit by driving the first pitch of the third inning beyond the right center field fence for her team-leading third dinger of the year, giving the Lyons the lead for good. DePolito followed suit in the fifth, driving a two-out solo shot into left center for her second homer this year.

The Lyons put the game away with four runs on three hits in the sixth, as MacDonald poked an RBI double and Lachance slashed a two-run two bagger. MacDonald's two-out RBI single in the seventh completed the scoring.

Moynagh notched her first shutout of the season by allowing three hits and one walk in seven innings while striking out seven Pioneers. After allowing two of the game's first four batters to reach, she retired 15 of the next 16, fanning four straight at one point, including striking out the side in the fifth on 12 pitches. Sophomore Emily Hiltzik (Westbury, NY/W. Presper Clarke Jr.) suffered the loss, giving up five earned runs and striking out two.

Lachance had a 3-for-5 showing, scoring twice and driving in three more. Sophomore Stacey Kelleher (Brockton, MA/Brockton) went 3-for-4 with a double in her first game since Wheaton's 2006 spring break trip to Florida, while MacDonald was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Benton added two hits, while she and Marini each doubled. Of the Lyons' 15 hits, seven went for extra bases.

The Lyons continue NEWMAC play tomorrow with a doubleheader against visiting Springfield College at 12:00 p.m. Wheaton opens its home slate versus the runner up in last season's conference tournament.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 3/30/07.
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