Softball Sweeps MASCAC Twinbill with Fitchburg State

BRIDGEWATER, Mass.  –  The Bridgewater State University softball team swept a pair of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic (MASCAC) games from visiting Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Park.  The Bears posted a 5-4 victory in the opening contest before winning game two by the score of 1-0 in nine innings.

Bridgewater State 5, Fitchburg State 4 (Game 1)

 In game one, Bridgewater State rallied for four runs in the fifth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit as the Bears went on for the 5-4 win.

Fitchburg State opened the scoring in the first innings as junior Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass.) led off with a double to left center and scored on a Bridgewater State miscue.  The Falcons would add a pair of unearned runs later in the frame as freshman Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass,) and sophomore Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J.) crossed the plate on a sacrifice bunt and a bases loaded walk for the 3-0 advantage.

Bridgewater State rallied in the fifth inning, scoring four times in the frame to take a 4-3 lead, The Bears were able to capitalize on four Falcon errors and pair of hits as freshman Meagan Pacheco (Somerset, Mass.) delivered an RBI single before a pair of runs scored via a fielding error.

The hosts added an insurance run the following inning when junior Jill Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.) singled to open the inning, stole second, advanced to third on sacrifice bunt and scored on a run scoring hits by Pacheco.

The Falcons battled back in the final inning as Gemma led off with a double before Whitelaw connected on a one out single. Gemma eventually scored on a ground out to second base off the bat of Binnall but Bears pitcher Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Conn.) retired the final hitter to preserve the 5-4 victory.

For the Bears, Pacheco hit a perfect 3-for-3 including one run scored and a pair of RBI, while sophomore Brianna Strecker (Waterford, Conn.) chipped in with two singles and a run scored.

Forgues led the Falcons offensive efforts, finishing 3-for-4 with one run scored, while freshman Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass.) posted a pair of hits and Binnall added two RBI on in game one.

On the mound, Dunn picked up the win for the Bears as she allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts.  Sophomore Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) pitched well for Fitchburg State, allowing just one run on seven hits and a season-best 11 K's.  Junior Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass.) suffered the loss for the Falcons as she came in to start the fifth and allowed all four batters she faced to reach (two on errors) before Whiting came back in to finish the game.

Bridgewater State 1, Fitchburg State 0 (Game 2) (Nine Innings)

In the nightcap, Bridgewater State junior Amber White (Middleboro, Mass.) outdueled Alcott as the Bears edged the Falcons, 1-0, in nine innings to complete the sweep.

In the circle, White improved to 6-4 on the season, giving up just four hits with nine K's for Bridgewater State, while Alcott suffered the loss, yielding just one unearned run on eight hits and eight strikeouts for the Falcons.

The Bears won the game in the bottom of the ninth as Welch, who was placed on second base via the international tie-breaker rule, advanced to third on a single by senior Melissa Harmon (Shrewsbury, Mass.).  After senior Brianna DeNucci (Newton, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice bunt to load the bases, Pacheco plated Welch with the game-winning run as she singled deep to centerfield.

Bridgewater State threatened in the bottom of the second inning as senior Courtney Gregoire (Dartmouth, Mass.) opened the frame with a double to center field and Harmon singled to put runners on second and third with one out. But Alcott worked out of jam to keep the game scoreless.

The Bears would load the bases in the fourth on a double by Welch, a fielder's choice and an infield single from Pacheco, but Alcott induced a pair of fly outs to preserve the 0-0 stalemate after four innings of play.

At the dish, Pacheco and Harmon paced the Bridgewater State game two offense, combining for four hits and an RBI, while sophomore Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in with a pair of singles. For Fitchburg State, sophomore Colleen Flaherty (Stoughton, Mass.) collected two hits.

Bridgewater State (10-10, 3-1 MASCAC) will host Nichols College on Tuesday for a double header starting at 3 p.m. Fitchburg State (6-12, 1-3 MASCAC) returns to action on Tuesday as it hosts Lions of Eastern Nazarene College for a double header starting at 3 p.m.