Springfield, Mass. – April 1, 2012 – The Springfield College softball team was swept by Wellesley College in its home opener on Sunday in New England WomenÂ's and MenÂ's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Potter Field. The Blue prevailed 2-1 in 10 innings in the opener before taking the second contest, 6-1, in a game that was shortened due to rain.

The victory boosts WellesleyÂ's record to 7-9, 3-1 in league play while the Pride fall to 8-5 2-2.

The opening game of the doubleheader was a marathon, lasting over two and a half hours and featured a pair of dominating pitchers.   For Wellesley, Sarah Schwartzmeyer had a sensational performance on the mound, striking out 14 batters and scattering seven hits.  SpringfieldÂ's Ashley Marino, who hurled a no-hitter her last time out, finished with four strike outs as she gave up nine hits. 

Neither team was able to scratch out runs until extra innings.  However, both squads had prime scoring opportunities in the early going, had it not have been for the strong arms of SpringfieldÂ's Kelsey Dunn and WellesleyÂ's Abigayle Casey.  Casey threw out SpringfieldÂ's Amy Entel at the plate in the second inning and snuffed out a late Pride rally in the sixth, throwing Kasey Kellyout at home.  Dunn kept the Blue off the scoreboard in the fourth on a great throw from left field to get pinch runner Rachael Goldenberg at the dish.

In the top of the eighth, Kimberly CabralÂ's soft single to left field allowed Schwartzmeyer to score ffrom third to put Wellesley up 1-0.

The Pride answered with its own run in the bottom of the eighth to force even more extra innings.  After pinch runner Allison McCarthy advanced to third on a sac bunt by Tess Gagliano, Christina Leader roped a single into left to even things at one run apiece. 

The ninth inning was played without a run.  In the 10th, with two outs, Cabral hit a hard shot up the middle that Kelly made a terrific play to field the ball. However, she was unable to get her throw to first in time, allowing Phoebe Walsh-Costello to score from third. Schwartzmeyer closed out the Pride by striking out the side in the 10th.

In the second game, which was played in constant rain, Lauren Goldfarb started things off with a bang, sending a screaming shot over the centerfield fence for a lead off home run.

In the top of the third, Cabral drew a two-out walk and would come around to score after Jayne Ellis smashed a double into center field to make it a 2-0 game. Springfield got a run back in the bottom half of the frame.  Kelly Blake turned on a pitch and scorched a solo home run to left field for her second round-tripper of the season.

Wellesley benefited from a pair of Springfield errors in the fourth to score three more runs to earn a 5-1 lead.  Mariah Phillips reached on an error to lead off the inning, and after Mara Blesoff singled up the middle, the duo moved into scoring position on a sac bunt by Jennifer Migliore.  Philips then scored on an error, and pinch runner Goldenberg came around to score on a wild pitch.  Abby Casey, who reached on a fielderÂ's choice, accounted for the BlueÂ's third run of the frame as she scored on a Goldfarb ground out.

  Blesoff cracked an RBI double off the left field fence in the fifth, allowing Jayne Ellis, who recorded a double earlier in the inning, to score for the game’s final run. Springfield had started to mount a rally in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs. However, due to heavy rain, the field was deemed unplayable, thus ending the game with the score after the last completed inning, the fifth.

Jen Joseph lost for the first time this season, giving up three earned runs off five hits, while striking out three. She walked two and had a pair of wild pitches. Her counterpart, Lindsay Johnson, picked up the win after hurling five innings of four-hit ball. She struck out four, walked, three, and had two wild pitches as well.

Springfield will play again on Tuesday afternoon when it hosts Eastern Connecticut for the doubleheader beginning at 3:30 pm.