Softball Splits Twinbill with Springfield College

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College softball team spilt a doubleheader with Springfield College this afternoon at Alumni Park.  After dropping the opening game, 11-2, the Bears came back to earn the split with a 2-0 shutout victory in game two which was called due to darkness in the middle of the fifth inning.

In game two, BSC junior right-hander Alyssa Verronneau (Acushnet, MA) dominated from start to finish as she hurled a two-hit and matched her career high with 11 strikeouts.

Verronneau (7-4), who at one point struck out six batters in a row, has registered 31 strikeouts over her last 18 innings of work.  The shutout was her second straight and third of the season, and she lowered her ERA to 2.62.

Bridgewater got on the board in the bottom of the first inning as freshman Tracey Sanko (LF, Windsor, CT) and sophomore Meghan Noyes (RF, Stoughton, MA) were issued back-to-back walks to put runners on first and second with one out. Sanko would come around to score one out later as junior Allie LeBlanc (CF, Somerset, MA) reached on a dropped fly ball by the Springfield right fielder.

BSC pushed across an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth as senior Nicole Hebert (2B, Taunton, MA) led off the frame with a double and was replaced on the base paths by pinch runner Bridget Engwer (Wrentham, MA).  Senior Ciana Godin (DP, Worcester, MA) walked and junior Stacey Capodiece (3B, East Lyme, CT) followed with a groundout to the right side of the infield which moved the runners up to second and third.  Engwer would cross the plate on a wild pitch to give BSC the 2-0 lead.

Freshman pitcher Katie Anderson (Andover, MA) suffered the loss for the Pride despite giving up just two hits in three plus innings of work.  Anderson (3-5) struck out two but walked four before leaving with two on and nobody out in the fourth.

Junior lefthander Samantha Rhodes (Mendon, MA) pitched well for Springfield in game two as the Pride cruised to the 11-2 win.  Rhodes (10-4) went the distance giving up five hits while walking two and striking out seven.  She hurled shutout ball for six innings before giving up a two-run homer to LeBlanc with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh.

Senior Denise Fumicello (2B, Brockton, MA) went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI in game two, while junior Angela Atkins (CF, East Haddam, CT) finished 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Junior Aimee Cassella (C, Southington, CT) entered the game as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the fourth and then belted a three-run homer in the top of the fifth to give Springfield a 4-0 lead.  The Pride would add two more runs in the sixth and five in the seventh.

Bridgewater (11-13) hosts a non-conference twinbill with Eastern Connecticut State tomorrow starting at 3:30.  Springfield travels to WPI on Saturday afternoon for a noontime NEWMAC doubleheader with the Engineers.