Wildcats Find Their Pot of Gold Shutting Out Blue Angels

LONGMEADOW, Mass.- The Luck of the Irish was with Bay Path today with two shutout victories over the College of New Rochelle today in their home opener which just happened to be on St. Patty's Day this afternoon. The Wildcats defeated the Blue Angels 13-0 in the opener and added a run for a 14-0 shutout in the nightcap both games finishing in five innings following the eight run rule. With the doubleheader sweep Bay Path is now .500 on the season with a 6-6 record. New Rochelle is now 0-2.

Sophomore infielder Nicole Ogden (Springfield, Mass.) led the way for the Wildcats hitting an amazing .800 for the doubleheader going 4-for-5 with six runs and five RBI including double and triple.  For the day, eight players batted over 500 for the day including three going perfect with a 1.000 average with junior catcher Mercedes Griffith (Malden, Mass.), freshman utility player Katie Sperry (Guilford, Conn.) and freshman infielder Casey Botelho (Providence, R.I.). Griffith also nailed a deep homerun over the right center fence in the opener.

Head Coach Steve Smith managed to play the entire active roster for the day with all seventeen players providing some sort of contribution to game whether it be a run, hit or RBI.

Junior pitcher Keelin Dougherty (Northfield, N.H.) hurled a five inning no-hitter fanning eight while only walking four for the day. Dougherty is now 3-3 on the season garnering her second shut-out for the 2013 campaign.

Griffith went 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI including a double and a two-run homer in the bottom of the second. The second inning was the deal breaker for the Wildcats scoring eight runs with all but one player in the line-up crossing the plate.

In the nightcap the throwing freshman duo of starting hurler Katrina Lury (Corinth, Vt.) and closer Kate Sirois (Enfield, Conn.) combined for a two-hit shut-out. Lury who picks up the win faced 16 batters striking out six while walking four for the day. She is 3-1 on the season. Sirois fanned four allowing no hits, walking two batters.

Ogden led the way going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. In the five spot of the order junior shortstop Emily Serrano (North Adam, Mass.) and her sub Sperry both went a perfect 2-for-2  with Serrano adding two runs and two RBI including an in the park homerun to deep centerfield and a double in the second.

The Wildcats again notched their eight runs in the second halting the game after the fifth due to the run rule. Ogden started the Wildcats off sending Dougherty and sophomore infielder Marina Rhodes (Providence, R.I.) home after both of them walked. Freshman infielder Anna Meyer (Millbrook, N.Y.) kept it going with a hard shot up the middle.  Serrano sent Ogden home with a double shot to center. Senior outfielder Nicole Dexter (Delanson, N.Y.) walked as did fellow senior Marissa Stone (Londonderry, N.H.). Lury plated Serrano on an infield fly finishing off the scoring in the second. The Wildcats would add six more insurance runs with an entirely new line-up in the game.

Bay Path will travel to play Mount Ida on Tuesday, March 19^th for a 3:00 p.m. start of another doubleheader.