BOSTON, Mass. - Sophomore righthander Taylor Spargo earned a win and a save in the circle and the 23rd-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball combined to score 26 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Simmons University, on Saturday afternoon at Daly Field. With wins of 14-5 and 12-7, the Engineers improve to 11-2 overall and extend their winning streak to nine games, while the Sharks drop to 3-11 on the season.

Spargo (3-0) picked up a 5.0-inning relief victory in Game 1, surrendering just one run on four hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. The Engineers rallied from an early 4-0 deficit after one inning, scoring five of the next six frame to win by run-rule.

RPI got one back in the second on a sacrifice fly from junior Veronica DeStefano. The Engineers then tied the game at 4-4 in the third, beginning with an RBI-triple off the bat of junior shortstop Cam Caswell. Classmates Maddie Provencher and Quin Garant then chipped in with run-scoring singles.

Simmons retook the lead in the bottom half (5-4) thans to an Alex Morang infield single that scored Marissa Santoro from third.

Another three-run inning in the fourth gave the Engineers the lead for good. Junior Allie Hunt singled up the middle to plate freshman Jessica Torch, before Provencher rippped a single down the right field line to bring home Hunt and Steph Cavallaro.

The Engineers then sent 12 batters to the plate in the top of the sixth, scoring seven runs on six hits and two errors. Torch highlighted the frame by hitting a two-run, inside-the-park home run. Classmate Erin Askins also came through with a big hit in the inning, lacing a ground-rule double to right center that also plated a pair.

In Game 2, RPI got on the board first with a single run in the top of the second. DeStefano was the catalyst once again, singling home sophomore Kyla Anderson.

Simmons scored twice in the bottom of the third on a single and a triple from Christie Bott and Shannon McMahon, respectively. 

Rensselaer answered with a five-run top of the fourth, beginning with RBI-singles from Hunt and Cavallaro. The Engineers then took advantage of a Sharks error to score a third run, before a fielder's choice and an Anderson base hit capped the scoring to give RPI a 6-2 lead.

The Sharks fought back with two run in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run double from Lauren Del Vacchio to pull within 6-4. After RPI answered with two of their own in the top of the fifth, the Sharks brought home two in the bottom half a two-run homer by McMahon.

Following a scoreless sixth, the Engineers put up another crooked number in the seventh. A sac fly from Cavallaro was followed by a two-run triple off the bat of Askins. Freshman Ryleigh Greenwald plated one run with an opposite field single to right.

Simmons was able to scratch across one run in the bottom half, but Spargo was able to finish the contest off for the save, working the game's final three innings.

Freshman righthander Erika Holowka (6-1) allowed six runs on nine hits over 4.0 innings, but earned the win, striking out three and walking one. Hunt finished 2 for 4 with two runs and two runs batted in. Anderson went 2 for 5 with a run and an RBI, while DeStefano was 2 for 5 with a run and an RBI.

RPI's nine-game winning streak is its longest since winning 11 straight in 2009.

The Engineers are back in action next Saturday, when they host Sage College in a doubleheader at Doris Robison Field (1pm). Simmons hosts MIT for two on Wednesday (5pm).