Softball Advances to Winner's Bracket Final with 3-2 Win over Fitchburg

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Bridgewater State University advanced to the winner's bracket final of the 2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Softball Tournament as the top-seeded Bears downed #4 seed Fitchburg State University, 3-2, on Friday afternoon at by Alumni Park.

The Bears, who improve to 23-14 on the season, will take on number two seed MCLA tomorrow afternoon at 1:30.  MCLA edged Worcester State University, 1-0, in the other quarterfinal round matchup. The Falcons (19-21) will face Worcester in an elimination game tomorrow at 11:00 AM.  The remainder of the tournament takes place at Alumni Park.

BSU right-hander Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Conn.) earned her tenth win in the circle as she worked the first five innings.  Dunne (10-9) gave up just one run on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts.  Amber White (Middleboro, Mass.) picked up her first save of the season as she hurled the final two innings allowing a run on one hit while fanning two.

Bridgewater took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as the Bears loaded the bases with one out on singles by Jill Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.), Jessica Laudati (Berkley, Mass.) and Melissa Harmon (Shrewsbury, Mass.).  Meagan Pacheco (Somerset, Mass.) then reached on a fielder's choice ground out to plate Welch with the first run of the game.

The Bears tacked on two more runs in the third with a two-out rally.  A Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, Mass.) base hit was followed by a Welch single to put runners on first and second.  Laudati then doubled to deep center field to plate both runners.

Fitchburg cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fifth.  Allison Page (Wakefield, Mass.) opened the frame with a base hit, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and score on an RBI double off the bat of Marissa Binnall (Fitchburg, Mass.).

The Falcons rallied in the seventh as Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.) led off with a triple into the right field corner.  After a foul out, Gemma came around to score when Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice bunt.  White, however, stranded the runner on first by striking out the next batter and inducing a game-ending ground out to third.

Shaw, Welch and Laudati paced the Bears' eight-hit attack with two hits apiece.

Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) suffered the loss in the circle for the Falcons as she went the distance.  Whiting (8-11) gave up three runs on eighth hits with a pair of punch-outs.