CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Softball took the short trip to Cambridge on Friday afternoon for a doubleheader against NEWMAC rivals MIT. The Engineers had recently fallen out of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's (NFCA) Division III poll while Emerson was looking to take their first doubleheader since April 9th's sweep of UMass Boston.

MIT took game one, 9-2, on the back of a six-run 5th inning and then took game two, 9-1, in five innings due to mercy rule. The losses drop Emerson to 13-17 (4-12 NEWMAC) this season, while MIT improves to 19-9 (9-5 NEWMAC).

GAME ONE: MIT 9, Emerson 2
Kit Zenga took the circle for the Lions in just her third pitching appearance of the season, while MIT opted for Caroline Langmeyer.

Both teams were held scoreless through the first four innings before the Engineers broke the scoreless tie with a six-run bottom of the fifth. The Engineers scored two runs thanks to back-to-back bases-loaded walks with one out. After the Lions picked up the second out on a fielder's choice play at home plate, Kennedy Adkison drove in two with a single; Katia Pendowski drove in two more with a double on the next at-bat. After the double, Zenga was replaced in the circle by Kate Regan, who induced a grounder to shortstop for the third out of the inning.

Emerson would get on the board in the next frame. Claire Overton led the top of the sixth off with a double to left center, and Riley Caiazza would advance her teammate to third with a single to right. Izzi Shaffer then drove in Overton and advanced Caiazza to third with a double to right field for the Lions' first run of the game. Caiazza later came home on a wild pitch to put the score at 6-2.

MIT scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Nicole Johnston drove in the first run with a double to center field and then came around for another one after a double to left center by Mackenzie Bivin. Bivin later scored on a single by Arianna Kumar. Katie Katsuyama pitched the final frame for MIT, and Emerson put runners on first and second but were held scoreless.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Kit Zenga (1-1) - 4.2 IP, 4 HA, 6 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, SO, HBP
Izzi Shaffer - 1-3 (2B, 2 SO), RBI
Claire Overton - 3-4 (2B, SO), R
Grace Beaulieu - 2-3 (2B)
Riley Caiazza - 2-2 (BB), R

GAME TWO: MIT 9, Emerson 1
Caleigh Sheehan was Emerson's starting pitcher in the second game. MIT went with Nicole Doering.

The Lions struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Sam Zannotti scored on a wild pitch. The lead lasted until the bottom of the fifth when MIT took a 5-1 lead. Four of the Engineers' runs in the inning were ruled unearned due to the scoring runners reaching or scoring on errors. Mackenzie Relihan capped off the scoring with a two-run single to left field before Sheehan spun a double play to end the inning.

MIT added one more run in the bottom of the fourth when Mikayla Cable scored on a wild pitch, and then scored three in their next at-bats to put the mercy rule in effect. Cable did the honors with an RBI sac fly to left field.

Doering held Emerson to two hits in the contest, which were recorded by Overton and Zenga.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Caleigh Sheehan (8-7) - 4.1 IP, 9 HA, 9 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO, 5 WP
Claire Overton - 1-1 (2 BB)
Kit Zenga - 1-1 (BB)
Sam Zonnotti - 0-2 (BB, SO), R
Carly Rosenberger - 0-1 (BB, SO)

NEXT UP
Softball hosts Wellesley next Friday (March 3rd) for another NEWMAC doubleheader. The Blue are 13-19 (5-11 NEWMAC) and will face Wheaton (Mass.) on Saturday (March 27th) and Worcester State on Wednesday (May 1st) before finishing their season against the Lions.