Moynagh's perfect game highlights Lyons' twinbill sweep of Bridgewater

April 1, 2007

NORTON, MA- Junior Jodi Moynagh (Worcester, MA/Holy Name Central Catholic) tossed the fifth perfect game in Wheaton College softball history to highlight the Lyons' doubleheader sweep of non-conference rival Bridgewater State College, 8-0 and 12-0 in a pair of five-inning contests on Sunday at Clark Field. The Lyons have now won five of their last six games and are 11-9, while the Bears fell to 7-8-1.

Moynagh's five-inning masterpiece came in the nightcap, which she started by fanning a pair of hitters before snaring a line drive back into the circle to end the opening frame. She struck out two more in the second, ended the third with another strikeout and breezed through a 1-2-3 fourth. Sophomore center fielder Brady Benton (Concord, NH/Concord) hauled in a deep fly ball to begin the fifth, and Moynagh fielded a grounder back to the mound for the second out before fanning the final batter looking on a 3-2 pitch. Moynagh finished with six strikeouts while becoming the third different Lyon to toss a perfect game, and the first since Kim Sears '00 on April 27, 1999.

Wheaton's offense started hot in game two, plating four runs in the first inning on three hits and two errors. Junior Erika Marini (Pawtucket, RI/Saint Raphael Academy) had the big blow, driving a two-out, two-run double into straightaway center field. The Lyons pulled away with seven runs in the third inning thanks to five hits and a miscue. Freshman Merry MacDonald (Braintree, MA/Braintree) unloaded a two-out grand slam, while Marini and sophomore catcher Lynn Cotto (Brookfield, CT/Brookfield) picked up RBI singles.

Cotto caught all five innings for Moynagh, who added a long double to the left field gap and a bases-loaded walk. MacDonald scored twice and drove in four, Marini was 2-for-3 with three RBI, and senior Jessica DePolito (Taunton, MA/Coyle and Cassidy) and junior Audrey Poulton (Charlestown, RI/Chariho Regional) each went 2-for-3 and scored twice. Junior Stephanie Pierce (Worcester, MA/Notre Dame Academy) took the loss after going all four innings and yielding just three earned runs on 10 hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

The Lyons also jumped out to an early lead in the first game, scoring four times on four first-inning hits. DePolito's one-out RBI double plated the first run, and Benton capped the frame with a two-run homer beyond the right center field fence. Marini drove a two-run double in the third to put her team on top by six, and DePolito drilled a two-run home run well past the right field scoreboard in the fourth to complete the scoring.

Wheaton's bats overshadowed a strong showing by freshman hurler Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro), who yielded two singles and two walks while striking out three during a five-inning, complete-game effort. She faced her toughest test in the second, as Bridgewater State put runners on second and third with two down, but Bagley fanned the final batter to begin a stretch of retiring nine of the final 10 Bears in the game.

DePolito finished 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI, falling a triple shy of the cycle, while Benton's homer came in her only official at bat. Junior Alix Brozman (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) scored twice. Sophomore Alyssa Verronneau (Acushnet, MA/New Bedford) suffered her first loss in five decisions this year after giving up six runs, including five earned, on seven hits in three innings.

The Blue and White steps back into New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Tuesday, as Wheaton hosts Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a twinbill that begins at 3:00 p.m. It will mark the third of four straight home doubleheaders for the Lyons.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/1/07.
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