BOSTON, Mass. —
The United States Coast Guard Academy softball team was handed a pair of one-run defeats by New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foes MIT on Saturday in Boston. The Engineers walked off the game one shootout for a 10-9 victory before edging the Bears in the second contest, 1-0. MIT entered the contest at #24 in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.
Coast Guard finishes the regular season at 16-16 overall and 10-10 in conference play, while the Engineers wrapped it up at 31-7 on the season and 16-4 against NEWMAC opponents. The day's sweep allowed MIT to lock up the 2-seed in the upcoming NEWMAC Championship Tournament, meaning they'll take on the winner of Springfield and Game 1's victor on Wednesday, May 6th.
Game One: Bears 9, MIT 10; Box Score
The first game could be described as a slug fest, with the final hit total between both teams adding up to 29. The Engineers ultimately had the final say with a walk-off win.
MIT opened with a three-run first inning, but Coast Guard countered with five runs in the top of the 2nd. The Bears tied it at three when
Dana Walker (Macon, Ga.) picked up two with a single. After a rain delay, the Engineers were able to retake their lead in the bottom half with a trio of RBI singles.
Walker came through again for her team in the top 4th by driving in two on a double, setting the score at 7-6 in the Bears' favor, but another three-run inning in the bottom 5th gave the Engineers the upper hand again.
Hayden Reilly (Prosper, Tex.) the deficit to one with a laser over the left field fence in the 6th, and
Zoey Lynn (Nokomis, Fla.) tied it in the 7th with a ground-rule double. It would be Ava Ladd giving the hosts the last laugh with an RBI single to left field to walk it off.
Reilly and Walker both recorded three base knocks in game one, with Walker bashing to doubles as part of her opening performance. Lynn and
Madeline Kibler (Effingham, Ill.) both recorded two hits apiece. Walker pitched in relief for the final 1.2 innings and was tacked with the loss, dropping her to 12-8.
Game Two: Bears 0, MIT 1: Box Score
The bats cooled down for both teams in the second contest, with the combined hit total capping at nine. All it took for MIT was an RBI double by Ladd in the bottom 3rd.
Walker pitched a gem despite her second loss of the day. She went all six innings and allowed just four hits while striking out seven.
Mack Murnane (Castle Hayne, N.C.) smacked a double as one of the Bears' five hits.
Coast Guard was not without opportunities. In the top 3rd,
Lauren Ragonese (Liverpool, N.Y.) led off with a single to left field and made it around to stand on third with two outs, but she would be left stranded. In the top 5th, Murnane advanced to third with one out following her double, but MIT was able to escape on back-to-back ground outs.
Coast Guard softball will head into the NEWMAC tournament as the seventh and final seed. They'll travel to Wheaton College (21-15, 11-9 NEWMAC) this upcoming Monday for the win-or-go-home play-in game, with first pitch set for 4:30 PM ET. The Bears swept the Lions in the season series at Nitchman Field by scores of 4-3 and 5-4. The winner will move on to face 3-seed Springfield College (25-12, 14-6 NEWMAC) on Wednesday.
