By Zack Downing, Staff Writer

A very solid Corsairs season is beginning to wind down, with only a week left to play.  On Wednesday the 18th, UMass Dartmouth traveled to Worcester Polytechnical Institute to face the Engineers in a doubleheader.   WPI was leading a great season themselves, coming into the day at 23-7.  However, the Corsairs put a point on the board immediately in the first inning, thanks to a bunt by shortstop Leah Major and an RBI by Emily Colton.  The Engineers kept stranding runners until the 4th inning, when they scored a run thanks to a triple by WPI hitter Cassie Graca. They followed that up by taking the lead in the 5th off of a home run from Caroline Wood.  The Corsairs were ready for a reply when Kerry Farrell hit her first career home run to bring a fellow runner in and take the lead, 3-2. Pitching a complete game, Hannah Smith made sure the score stayed that way as she stifled WPI in the seventh and final inning. 3-2 was the final score.  The second match of the day brought 21 hits and more excitement. The game was tied in the 5th when Emily Colton blasted a 2 run homer to put the Corsairs up 5-3. Cierra Sheerin, the very next batter, entered the box with empty bases and hit a homer of her own, her first of the season.  Despite the back-to-back HRs, the Engineers weren’t done. They put two points up at the bottom of the 6th to make the score 6-5, then in the 7th the Corsairs committed a costly outfielding error to let WPI complete their comeback, 7-6.   Errors might have been the biggest factor in the loss, as they had 3 in the game.  On Saturday, the Corsairs took a trip to UMass Boston to face a struggling Beacons squad.   As usual, UMass Dartmouth was the first on the scoreboard after freshman Jill Richards hit a single RBI in the 1st inning. They pulled further ahead two innings later thanks to Kylie Fletcher knocking two runners home with a double.  It was 4-0 Corsairs when UMass Boston first reached the scoreboard, and they certainly tightened it up. The Beacons scored a run in the fifth, then a triple from Boston’s Kelly Danahy brought the score to 4-3 coming into the 7th.  However, UMass D scored one more time, and pitcher Annika Evensen held the Beacons off to end the game at 5-3.  Starting pitcher Hannah Smith earned her 11th victory, which keeps her ranked #1 in the LEC.   The second game of the day played a lot differently. Instead of the usual hot Corsair bats, UMass Dartmouth only got three hits, and all in the 4th inning. The Corsairs loaded the bases and got two points thanks to a Beacons error, tying the game up.  However, UMass Boston scored 3 points on the day, partly thanks to two doubles from Roxanne Vento. The final score was 3-2, UMass Boston.  The Corsairs currently sit at the top of the LEC right alongside Plymouth State, who has a nearly identical record. There may only be a week left to the season, but softball plays often; there are still four games left for UMass Dartmouth to pull ahead of Plymouth State.  The next home game is on Thursday the 26th against Framingham State. Come down to Cressy Field and support the team! 

Photo Courtesy: corsairathletics.com