MIT Softball Sweeps North Central (Ill.), Carthage On Day Four in Florida

CLERMONT, Fla. – The MIT softball team swept a pair of games on Wednesday afternoon against North Central College (Ill.) and Carthage College at Legends Way 5. The Engineers defeated North Central in comeback fashion by a 5-3 score before earning a 5-2 victory over Carthage in game two.

Game One: MIT 5, North Central 3
MIT senior Alexandra Marshall (Glen Head, N.Y.) earned the win (3-3) for the Engineers as she came on in relief in the fourth and tossed 3 1/3 perfect innings, including four strikeouts. Freshman Ravenne Nasser (Methuen, Mass.) was handed the no decision in 3 2/3 innings allowing three runs (two earned), five hits, one walk, striking out two. North Central senior Andrea Starr (Elk Grove, Ill.) took the loss (3-2) throwing a complete game alongside five runs (all earned), six hits, six walks and three strikeouts.

Trailing 3-0 through four innings, the Engineers scored two in the bottom of the fifth to pull within a
run (3-2). With the bases loaded after a pair of walks and a fielding error, sophomore Amanda Lee (Saratoga, Calif.) lined a two run single to left field plating classmate Jasmin Joseph (Woodland Hills, Calif.) and junior Natalie Shifflet (Poway, Calif.).

The Engineers put together a two-out rally in the sixth, climbing to a 5-3 advantage. Joseph singled to right, scoring freshman Toria Yan (Rockville, Md.) from third after she pinch ran for classmate Kim Veldee (Kirkland, Wash.), who walked. After Joseph stole second, junior Monica Shifflet (Poway, Calif.) knocked in freshman Erika Anderson (Carlsbad, Calif.), who reached on a single of her own.
Marshall closed the game with a 1-2-3 seventh, which included a pop out, strike out and a ground out, securing the 5-3 win for the Engineers.

Game Two: MIT 5, Carthage 2
Marshall earned the win (4-3) for the Engineers allowed one run (earned), six hits, one walk and struck out eleven over six innings in the circle. Sophomore Deanna Delgado (Miami, Fla.) pitched in her first contest of 2016 as she threw the final frame, closing out the 5-2 win. Junior Katie Herron (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) shouldered the loss (3-2) for Carthage on one inning pitched, two runs (both earned), three hits, one walk and one strikeout.

After Marshall struck out the side in the top of the first, MIT put two on the board in the bottom of the frame with a pair of RBI singles up the middle. Lee drove in Joseph, who reached on a bunt singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice by M. Shifflet. Senior Tori Jensen (Holliston, Mass.) then came to the plate and lined a single to center, scoring Lee from second for the 2-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the third, Anderson plated sophomore Zoe Hinton (Aurora, Colo.) on a liner to left center making the score 3-0. Hinton reached first on a base hit and moved to second on a fielding error by the Lady Reds. M. Shifflet expanded the Engineers' lead to 5-1 with a two-run double to center field in the bottom of the sixth after junior Ali Trueworthy (Rochester, N.H.) and sophomore Katherine Shade (Glencoe, Ill.) reached on singles.

The Lady Reds got one back in the top of the seventh as junior Darian Pelsor (Villa Park, Ill.) blasted a home run to center field, but Delgado settled down and struck out the final batter of the frame, securing the 5-2 win for MIT.