BABSON PARK, Mass.—Senior
Molly Hennessy (Tallahassee, Fla.) hit a walk-off single in game one and junior
Athena Hadjipanayis (Rye, N.Y.) drove in a pair of runs in game two as Babson College recorded a pair of one-run victories over visiting Wellesley College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) softball action on Friday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The Beavers defeated the Blue, 2-1, in game one and followed it up with a 3-2 victory in the nightcap. Babson has won seven of its last nine games to improve to 15-14 overall and 6-6 in conference play, while Wellesley has dropped four straight outings to slip to 13-15 overall and 5-7 in the NEWMAC.
Game 1: Babson 2, Wellesley 1
Senior
Michaela Russell (Boston, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, first-year
Emily Walsh (Flemington, N.J.) had an RBI double and Hadjipanayis (Rye, N.Y.) doubled for the Beavers. Senior
Moira O'Reilly (Columbus, Ohio) allowed just one run on four hits while striking out nine to improve to 9-7 on the year in the circle.
First-year Sarah Wicker (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) gave up two runs on six hits while recording five strikeouts over 6.1 innings to drop to 5-7 with the loss. Classmate Emily Kulhanek (Newbury Park, Calif.) had an RBI double and reached base twice, while first-year Jillian Colgan (Las Vegas, Nev.) contributed a double.
The Green and White went in front in the first as Russell singled to center, stole second and scored on Walsh's double down the right field line. O'Reilly retired 14 of the next 15 batters she faced after giving up back-to-back singles in the second before Wellesley pulled even in the top of the seventh.
Colgan doubled to the gap in right center and moved to third on a ground out before scoring on Kulhanek's two-out single to right. The Beavers answered right back though, as first-year
Charlotte Raymond (Wrentham, Mass.) smacked a double off the wall in left and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Hadjipanayis before scoring when Hennessy (Tallahassee, Fla.) dropped a single into short right.
Game 2: Babson 3, Wellesley 2
Russell, Walsh and junior
Sara Moore (Kennett Square, Pa.) all singled, recorded a stolen base and scored for the Beavers. First-year
Katie Vlacich (Concord, N.H.) went the distance in the circle allowing two runs and scattering six hits to improve to 6-7 with the win.
First-year Anisa Rodriguez (La Quinta, Calif.) hit her first career homer and was one of six players to record a hit for the Blue. Coglan dropped to 4-4 on the season in the circle after giving up three runs on six hits to go along with three strikeouts and three walks over 6.0 innings.
Moore led off the bottom of the first with a single and stole second before scoring on Hadjipanayis' ground out to shortstop to give Babson a 1-0 lead. Wellesley tied it on Wicker's two-out knock in the top of the third before the Beavers answered with a single to center by Walsh and another RBI ground out by Hadjipanayis to build a 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the frame.
Rodriguez hit the first pitch of the top of the fourth over the fence in left but Vlacich recorded her only strikeout of the game with two outs and runners on second and third to keep the hosts in front. She retired the side in order in both the fifth and sixth innings and got a comebacker with the potential game-tying run on seventh to finish off the win.
Both teams return to action on Saturday as Babson travels to Emerson for a doubleheader starting at 1:30 p.m., while Wellesley is MIT for a pair of games starting at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 29-17 all-time against Wellesley and has won four of the last six games between the teams.
• Babson last four wins at home have come by a single run and it is 8-6 this season in one-run games.
• Raymond extended her hitting streak to eight games, while Russell finished the day with three hits and has reached base safely in her last eight starts.
• The Beavers swiped five bags against the Blue and now have 79 stolen bases on the year, surpassing their previous single-season record of 77 set in 2022.
