Box Score
Eastern Conn. 5, WPI 2
WPI 7, Eastern Conn. 1
 
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Eastern Connecticut State University's softball team used timely hitting and a decisive fifth inning surge to hand Worcester Polytechnic Institute just its second loss of the season, defeating the Engineers, 5-2, Thursday afternoon in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader at Rooftop Field.
 
In the second game, senior first baseman Maddy Bowen (Hudson, NH) had three hits – including the 100^th of her four-year career – and Eastern (15-11) had eight hits off WPI (25-2) undefeated freshman pitcher Abby Merchant (16-0) but No. 22 nationally-ranked WPI capitalized on seven walks for a 7-1 victory.

Game 1
 
The Warriors overcame WPI's ace Naomi Boldebuck, who entered the match 8-1 against Eastern's Elizabeth Mitchell (Coventry), who now stands at 11-3 with the win.

Game Information:

• Score: Eastern 5,  WPI 2
• Records: Eastern (15-10) | WPI (25-2)
• Location: Rooftop Field (Worcester, Mass.)
• Win: Elizabeth Mitchell 
• Loss: Naomi Boldebuck

Key Moment:

• Eastern broke open a 3-2 game in the fifth inning, capitalizing on WPI's untimely and detrimental miscues to deliver key at-bats. Behind RBI production from Grace Jenkins (Groton) and a sacrifice fly from Lily Kenefick (Southington), the Warriors turned the tight road to victory, and the spark extended the lead to two runs, which would seize control in the Warriors' favor until the final.

How it Happened:

• Wasting no time in the top of the first, Kaley Laird (Bristol) got things going with a single, later stealing second to start the trek to home base, and finally scoring on an RBI hit from Abby Thompson (Westborough, MA) to give the Warriors an early 1-0 lead.
• The Warriors' initial lead did not last long as WPI came ready in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a quick performance from Sandy Fairbairn. Fairbairn doubled to right center before advancing to third on a throw, for Lucy Latour to score, evening things out 1-1, before the Engineers doubled down behind Emma Nagy, who also doubled to right for Fairbairn to slide home this time, pushing them in front, 2-1.
• The back-and-forth continued as Eastern responded right away. Julia Boya (Coventry) singled to center field for Jenkins to score before stealing second, awaiting Laird's hit to follow in Jenkins's suit, which pushed Eastern ahead 3-2, and the run would all but squash WPI's momentum, as they would fall silent for the remainder of the meeting.
• Defensively, Eastern's Mitchell settled in the circle considerably, working through WPI's lineup, severely stunting the Engineers' advancement, while the fifth inning would soon come and seal the host's fate.
• In the fifth, WPI's faulty defense would allow Lalor to reach first on an error, sparking another Eastern short spurt. To follow, Jenkins drove a key insurance run scoring Thompson, while Kenefick followed on a fly scoring Lalor to seal a 5-2 road victory. 

 
Game 2
 
Bowen had three singles to reach and exceed 100 career hits. Bowen knocked in Jenkins with one out for her 99^th hit that gave Eastern a 1-0 lead in the first inning; she reached 100 hits with a one-single in the fourth win the Warriors trailing 5-1, and recorded her 101^st hit with a leadoff single in the sixth with Eastern down 7-1.
 
 Jenkins and Boya both doubled in Eastern's eight-hit attack against Merchant, but the first-year pitcher didn't walk a batter and struck out six.
 
Eastern freshman righty Leah Chatfield (Naugatuck) allowed only four hits through the first five innings but walked six and departed on the short end of a 7-1 score. Sophomore Jordan Bennett (Plainville, MA) pitched a hitless sixth inning, striking out one.
 
WPI first baseman Emma Nagy drove in four runs for WPI with a two-run double in the team's three-run first and followed with a two-run home run in the third that made it 5-1.
 
Eastern plays the first of four Little East Conference doubleheaders Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Boston at 1 p.m.