WORCESTER – The WPI Engineers held the Tufts University softball team to just one run on their way to a 5-1 victory in game two of a NCAA Super Regional three-game series. The win forces a game three to decide who wins the Super Regional and advances to the 2022 Division III World Series.
WPI (34-15) starting pitcher Katie Martin threw a complete game for the win and allowed just one run on eight hits with seven strikeouts. Sky Johnson was in the circle for the Jumbos (36-11), also throwing all seven innings with three earned runs and 10 hits allowed with two strikeouts.
The Engineers got on the scoreboard first, scoring all five of their runs in five separate innings before Tufts eventually scored their lone run in the bottom of the sixth. WPI's Jocelyn Diaz got it started in the first with an rbi single up the middle to score Sydney Russell. They went on to score one run in four consecutive innings starting in the third with an Alicia Salvalzo rbi single, scoring Russell who singled to lead off the inning.
Kallie Case followed that up with a leadoff home run in the fourth and Russell would score her third run of the game in the fifth inning on a Jumbo error. In the top of the sixth, Stephanie Bishop singled to left-center field to score Shaina Lazarus, who led off the inning with a single.
Bela Jimenez singled up the middle to start the bottom of the sixth inning for Tufts, but the Jumbos could only get one run across when Emma Jacobson singled to second base to score Josie Steinberg, who reached on a fielder's choice. Both pitchers shut down the opposing lineups in order in the seventh, and the game ended with a 5-1 score in favor of WPI to force a game three.
The Jumbos had two players with multiple hits in the game, as Jimenez and Steinberg both had two. Steinberg finished 2 for 3 with a run scored while Jimenez went 2 for 4. WPI had just one multi-hit game, as Russell finished 2 for 4 with three runs scored.
Written by Tim O'Brien, Athletic Communications Intern
