Wellesley softball opened NEWMAC play last Friday at Babson College, splitting a double header with the Beavers. The Blue came out strong in game one, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding another at the top of the fourth to take the field with a 3-1 lead. A huge offensive inning for Babson gave the Beavers four more runs and a 5-3 lead entering the fifth. However, Wellesley could not overcome the deficit, matching Babson in runs in the 5th and 6th innings to take a 5-7 loss.
Any offensive struggles earlier in the day were overcome in the second game as the Blue dominated at the plate for a decisive 15-3 victory. After just three innings, Wellesley had built an insurmountable lead of 13-1, thanks in large part to a seven-run second inning. Consistent pitching from Julia Warner ’18 and solid hitting by Maria Labouyer ’15, who tallied four runs and three RBIs, and Kendra Coleman ’17, who added three runs and an RBI, highlighted the Blue’s play.
On Saturday, Wellesley hosted Smith in two close back- to-back games to pick up their eighth win. A series of Pioneer errors in the first and third innings allowed the Blue to take a 4-2 lead before adding two more runs in the fourth and fifth. Smith crept back into the game in the seventh inning, scoring two runs to close the score to 6-4 before the Blue would make their final out off a ground ball.
In the afternoon’s second game, the Blue got out to an early 3-2 lead before a fourth inning run by Smith to tie the game at 3-3. There was no looking back for the Pioneers, who went on to score four more unanswered runs before taking the field in the bottom of the seventh inning. Despite the four-run deficit, however, Wellesley was aggressive at the plate. With bases loaded, Carly Bresee ’16 sent the ball to centerfield to bring LaBouyer and Kendra Coleman home and cut Smith’s lead to 2. Abby Casey ’15 then got good contact to send Emilyrose Havrilla ’15 across the plate. Smith held off Wellesley’s late three-run comeback with a final out, handing the Blue their sixth loss of the season.
The Blue will host Endicott College this afternoon in a 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. double header.
Wellesley tennis, ranked no. 27, defeated Bates College 5-3 last Friday in the first day of the Blue-hosted Nor’easter Bowl. The Blue took victories in four of six singles matches with wins from Sojung Lee ’15 at the first singles spot and Samantha Stone ’17 and Emily Olson ’18 at the fourth and fifth singles positions, respectively. Wellesley also saw strong play in doubles competition, with pairs Lee and Carina Chen ’17 and Dasha Kostikina ’17 and Stone each winning doubles matches.
Wellesley faced stiff competition in their second match of the Nor-easter Bowl on Saturday, falling to No. 28 Brandeis College 3-6. Chen and Olson were the only Blue players to pick up wins in singles competition. After a narrow first set victory, Chen secured a point for the Blue at the No. 2 singles position with a solid 6-2 second set victory to best her opponent two-out-of-three. Olsen also won at the fifth singles spot in two straight sets, shutting out opponent Danielle Simms 6-0 in the second of the two. In doubles play, Lee and Chen captured the No. 1 doubles match 8-2 in a single set for the Blue’s third victory of the match. Wellesley tennis will travel to Smith this Saturday in pursuit of their second straight Seven Sisters Championship.
Blue lacrosse earned their first NEWMAC win of the 2015 season with a commanding victory over Smith on Saturday. Wellesley came out strong in the first half with a balanced attack to score 11 goals in the first frame for an 11-5 halftime lead. The Blue’s eight-goal second half offense cooled down a little, but not enough for Smith to close the deficit. The Pioneers tacked on another five goals in the final 30 minutes, but took 14 fewer shots than the Blue on the game. Claire Canty ’15 led the Wellesley offense with seven goals and two assists while Courtney Peterson ’17, Jenny Gubner ’18, Nicole DeCanio ’16, Nikki Sharkin ’17 and Chesley Hooker ’16 combined for the remaining 12 goals. Goalkeeper Wendy Nettleton ’17 also recorded seven saves for the Blue en route to their 19-10 victory. Wellesley lacrosse will next face Babson this afternoon at 4 p.m.
Wellesley equestrian competed at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) Zone 1 Finals on Saturday, and will send two of its riders on to Nationals, which will be held in Springfield, MA, at the Eastern States Exposition. Callan Roberts ’15, team president, placed fourth out of ten in Intermediate Fences, after a suspenseful round that included a re-ride. Roberts had an especially strong showing in her Intermediate Flat class, placing first out of ten and advancing onto Nationals in that division. Paulina Sterpe ’15, team secretary, also had a strong ride and placed second out of ten riders in the Walk-Trot division. Sterpe will also be advancing to Nationals. Advancement to Nationals indicates that a rider is among the top 16 IHSA riders in their division.
Blue track and field kicked off their spring season on Saturday with a fifth place team finish at the Yellow Jacket Invite hosted by American International College. Wellesley bested the only other Division III team in competition, Westfield State University, as well as eight other NCAA Division I and Division II programs. Notable performances for the Blue include senior Taylor Bickford’s first place finish in the 10,000-meter with a time of 38:13.08 followed by Alice Zhou ’17 who took third in the event, finishing in 39:21.83. Mary Keenan ’17 and Isabella Narvaez ’17 also landed fourth place finishes in the 1500 meter and 200 meter events, respectively.
The Blue will travel to New London, Connecticut this Friday for the two-day Silfen Invitational hosted by Connecticut College.
Wellesley Crew faced William Smith College on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal in Geneva, NY last Saturday. Both first and second varsity units topped the Herons with times of 7:17.94 and 7:26.22, respectively. The Blue’s second boat defeated William Smith by a considerable margin of 11 seconds, while Wellesley’s first varsity boat got off to a quick start and never let the Herons recover.
The Blue, currently ranked third in the NCAA, will meet Tufts, Bates and Wesleyan this Saturday on Malden River.
Photo Courtesy of Alex Berman ’16
Anna Cahill ’18 is the Sports & Wellness Editor who is pursuing a major in Physics. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, watching Seinfeld and playing basketball. She can be reached at acahill2@wellelsey.edu.