Braving a frigid and windy day, fans flocked to Rotch Field to watch the Emerson softball team face the Suffolk Rams in their first home games of the season. The teams split the March 23 doubleheader, with the Lions taking the first game 4-0, followed by a 7-2 loss to the Rams. 

To open the day, sophomore pitcher Caleigh Sheehan commanded the mound, opening each of the first three innings with strikeouts. The game started as a pitchers battle, each allowing less than three base runners through the first two innings. Sheehan struck out the first two batters in the top of the third, before allowing a walk, then forcing a fly out to left field. 

With one down in the bottom of the third, the Lions broke open the game. Senior pitcher Jessica Gomez hit a rocket to the right field fence for a stand-up RBI double to take a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Sheehan brought Gomez around the bases with an RBI single up the left field line. After a pop-up out to right field, sophomore first base/outfielder Izzi Shaffer hit a bomb to right-center field, scoring two and moving herself to third base for an RBI triple. 

Sheehan would continue to dominate from the circle, stifling the Rams offense, racking up nine strikeouts through the complete game shutout. Allowing a total of four hits and two walks, Sheehan earned her third complete game and her fourth win of the year. She was backed by strong defense in a complete team effort, capped by a game-ending double play by first-year utility-player Avi Kuperman, catching a pop-up then throwing out a runner trying to advance to third.

Sheehan’s performance, paired with a second complete game earlier this week against Emmanuel College where she dealt 11 additional strikeouts, earned her NEWMAC Pitcher of the Week honors. 

The momentum swung the other way in game two when the Rams took an early 1-0 lead behind an RBI single to left field in the top of the first inning. The Lions responded quickly behind sophomore second base/outfielder Riley Caiazza’s two-out RBI single to center field, which drove in senior shortstop Sam Zannotti from third for a 1-1 tie. 

The Rams continued to fight back after the loss, adding a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, making the score 3-1. They then scored off an RBI triple in the top of the fourth to increase their lead to 4-1. Zannotti responded with a hard-hit RBI single up the middle, scoring first-year outfielder Danica Miles, to close the margin to 4-2 Rams. The Lions fought to preserve this score, until the top of the seventh when the Rams iced the game with an RBI single to center field, assisted by an error that scored two more runs, making the final score 7-2. 

Head coach Phil McElroy felt good about the pitching matchup in game one, but was unsatisfied with the team’s execution in game two.

“I thought we did just enough to win the game,” he said. “[Sheehan] pitched really well. I felt like they didn’t really have much of a shot against her in that game, so that game was good. Game two was just a little disappointing, especially [the] last inning, I feel we just kind of fell apart a little bit … we didn’t give ourselves a chance in that last inning.”

With conference games coming up, McElroy is preparing the team to face stronger competition. 

“We keep talking about having a plan in the batter’s box when we get there and not just throwing it up against the wall and just hoping that it’s going to be in there,” McElroy said. “So having more of a plan going in, that’s our focus. We get NEWMAC games coming up, so it’s going to get tougher.”

Although the Lions came up short in game two, they are focused on having a strong mentality to overcome playing double headers for every upcoming competition. 

“Between the two games, I think our main focus is just trying to keep the same energy we have from the first game to the second game,” Sheehan says. “We want to stay on our toes, we don’t wanna relax and kind of get caught slacking.”

Sheehan also shared her mentality when standing inside the pitching circle. 

“I just think before every batter, it’s a battle between me and that batter. I just want to be better than them and outsmart them,” she said. “I throw what I throw and get them to swing and get them to miss. Every time it’s just between me and the batter.”

The Lions take on the Lasell Lasers next at home on March 27 for a doubleheader at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., their final matchup before conference competition begins.