Grand Slam Lifts RPI To 6-2 Victory Over Softball

Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Elms College was limited to just three hits and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Sheena McNeil (Urbana, Ill.) cracked a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning to help lead the Engineers to a 6-2 victory over the Blazers in Wednesday evening's non-conference softball game at Doris Robinson Field.

With the loss, Elms falls to 8-12 on the season, while RPI improves to 11-11 overall.

Elms' sophomore pitcher Courtney Hampton (Westfield, Mass.) took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth before RPI struck for six runs. The Engineers managed just five hits through the first four innings before connecting for five in the productive fifth frame.

RPI began its comeback when Alyssa Rochminski (Schenectady, N.Y.) singled to lead off the inning. Caitlin McGivern (Bethlehem, Pa.) later singled and Gillian McCarthy (Worthington, Ohio) drew a walk to load the bases with one out in the inning.

A long drive to center field by Jen Bach (Lansdale, Pa.) resulted in a miscue by the Blazers' defense that allowed a run to score, before a sacrifice fly by Genevieve Falco (Seaford, N.Y.) knotted the game at 2-2. Sarah Heller (Guilderland, N.Y.) reloaded the bases setting up the dramatic grand slam by McNeil, whose shot just snuck in fair past the left field foul pole to give the Engineers the 6-2 advantage and held Elms scoreless over the next two innings to secure its victory.

RPI reliever Felicia Bua (Gilford, N.H.) entered in the fourth inning and tossed four scoreless frames, striking out four batters and not allowing a hit to pick up her fifth win of the season (5-7).

Hampton fanned five batters in the six-inning complete-game effort to move to 5-5 on the season.

Elms took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when senior right fielder Kim Lastowski (Turners Falls, Mass.) singled to center and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore shortstop Jenna Lipscomb (Cambridge, Mass.). Lastowski moved ahead 60 feet on a wild pitch and then came full circle on a base hit to left field by freshman first baseman Sarah Buckley (Wilbraham, Mass.) to post a 1-0 lead.

The Blazers extended their lead to 2-0 in the top of the third when Buckley drew a two-out walk and then advanced to third when senior second baseman Ally Graffum (Ipswich, Mass.) singled through the right side to give Elms runners on the corners. Graffum then raced to second on a wild pitch, before Buckley scored on a fielder's choice by junior center fielder Alison McBride (East Providence, R.I.).

Heller and McNeil paced the RPI offense with two hits each in the winning effort.

Elms returns to New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action on Saturday, April 17 when it hosts Mitchell College in a doubleheader slated to start at 2:00 p.m. at Cheryl R. Condon Field. Saturday also marks a “pink-out” day and the softball dugout dedication which will start at 1:45 p.m.