BABSON PARK, Mass.— Seniors
Sara Moore (Kennett Square, Pa.),
Athena Hadjipanayis (Rye, N.Y.), and
Alyssa DeStefano (Ridgefield, Conn.) combined to go 8-for-17 with three runs batted in and three runs scored, and graduate students
Moira O'Reilly (Columbus, Ohio) and
Cameron Whiteford (Centerville, Md.) each recorded a victory in the circle as Babson College swept a softball doubleheader from Salve Regina University on Senior Day in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The Beavers doubled up the Seahawks in the opener, 6-3, and captured a pitcher's duel in the nightcap, 1-0, to complete the sweep.
With its second straight conference sweep, Babson improved to 21-11 overall and 11-5 in the NEWMAC. Salve Regina has lost its last three games to fall to 11-23 overall and 6-12 in conference play.
Game 1 – Babson 6, Salve Regina 3
Moore had three hits with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored and junior
Sophia Pak (New Rochelle, N.Y.) added three hits with two RBI and one run scored for the Beavers. Hadjipanayis, first-year
Belle DiCampello (Pottstown, Pa.) and sophomore
Emily Walsh (Flemington, N.J.) had two hits apiece including a double, and DiCampello and Walsh each drove in a run. DeStefano also had a hit and an RBI as eight of the Beaver starters had at least one hit. O'Reilly earned the win (7-5) with a complete-game effort, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run on six hits.
Junior Skylar Wicklund (Riverhead, N.Y.) had two hits for the Seahawks, sophomore Emily Cronin (Coventry, R.I.) had a double and an RBI, and senior Sam Franceschi (East Haven, Conn.) knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly. Senior Alex Kelly (East Meadow, N.Y.) struck out three but was tagged for six runs and took the loss (7-5).
The Green and White took the lead with a pair of runs in the third inning. First-year
Kay LaLiberty (Lowell, Mass.) and Moore produced leadoff singles and after a sacrifice bunt by Hadjipanayis, Pak drove a two-run single down the left field line. The Beavers doubled the lead in the fourth when DeStefano hit an RBI single to left and then came around to score when Moore laced a triple to right center.
Salve answered with three runs in the top of the fifth, as Franceschi hit a sacrifice fly in foul territory in left field, another run came home on a Babson error, and Cronin capped the rally with an RBI double to right center. The Beavers tacked on insurance runs with RBI doubles by Walsh and DiCampello in the fifth and sixth innings, and O'Reilly retired the last seven batters she faced to seal the win.
Game 2 – Babson 1, Salve Regina 0
Whiteford and junior Caroline Peterson (Halifax, Mass.) shut down the hitters in the nightcap, surrendering a combined eight hits. Whiteford earned the win (10-5) and her sixth shutout of the season, allowing just five hits and a walk while striking out eight. Peterson gave up just three hits and two walks while fanning three but took the tough-luck loss.
Moore, DeStefano and Pak had singles for the only hits for the Beavers. Franceschi had two hits, including a triple to lead the Seahawks, senior Morganti Bello (Corte Madera, Calif.) hit a double, and Wicklund and first-year Skyla Oliveira (Smithfield, R.I.) added singles in the setback.
The Beavers scored the only run of the game in the fifth inning. DeStefano started the rally with a one-out single to right center, went to second on an infield groundout, and scored on Moore's single up the middle.
Whiteford worked out of jams in the first two innings, forcing the Seahawks to strand runners at third in both frames. She retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings and got a strikeout to end the fifth after Salve put two runners aboard with two outs. She stranded another runner at third in the sixth and finished out the game with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts in the seventh.
Babson returns to the diamond with a non-conference game at Endicott on Tuesday, beginning at 4 p.m. Salve Regina returns home to host Roger Williams in a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday at 3 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• Babson swept doubleheaders from the Seahawks in three of the last four seasons and is 7-2 all-time against Salve in a series that dates back to 1996.
• Whiteford extended her scoreless streak to 17.2 innings and has allowed just seven hits in that span while striking out 21.
• Moore produced her fifth multi-hit game in her last six contests in the opener and her team-leading 14h multi-hit game this season, while extending her hitting streak to seven games.
• Pak registered her 13th multi-hit outing in the opener and extended her hitting streak to six games in the nightcap.
