Softball Clinches MASCAC Tournament Bid with Sweep of MCLA

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University softball team clinched a spot in the MASCAC Tournament as the Bears swept a doubleheader with MCLA on Sunday afternoon in North Adams.

Bridgewater came away with a 4-2 win in game one of the twinbill and completed the sweep with a 2-1 victory in game two.

The host Trailblazers, who have dropped ten straight games, fall to 10-20 overall and 3-11 in the MASCAC.  Bridgewater improved to 16-20 on the season and 8-6 in conference play.

Bridgewater went up 1-0 in the top of the first inning of game one on a Michaela Ferreira RBI double with two outs.  The game would stay 1-0 until the top of the sixth when with two outs an error would put Ferreira on. Ferreira would score two batters later on a Tracey Sanko double to put the Bears up 2-0.

The Trailblazers would rally to tie the game in the bottom of the frame off Bears starter Meghan Dunn. Kayla Koumjian and Kate Ouellette would start the inning with back to back doubles. Kendra Hobbs moved Ouellette to third on a bunt single and then stole second; Ouellette would score on the play on a throwing error by the BSU catcher.

Bridgewater would retake the lead in the seventh, when with two outs and a runner on first, the Bears strung together four consecutive singles. Ferreira again had the big hit, singling in the go-ahead run.

Jaclyn Candelet walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but the Trailblazers couldn't put a rally together as they fell 4-2.

Dunn (11-6) earned the complete game win as she allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with four walks and a pair of strikeouts.  Trailblazer starter Hadley Ameen took the loss.

Ferreira, Brianna Strecker and Jennifer Shaw all had two hits apiece to lead the Bears' ten-hit attack in the opener.

In game two the Trailblazer bats were again stymied as MCLA could muster only three hits off Sanko and Dunn. Strecker had an RBI double in the top of the second to put the Bears up 1-0 and they would add an insurance run in the third off MCLA starter Kelly Pirzl.

MCLA would make it 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Sarah Greenwood plated Ashley Kelley with a two-out RBI single.  MCLA tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth when Hobbs tripled with two outs, but Dunn got Megan Boyer to pop to short.

Sanko (3-10) would pick up the victory for the Bears as she gave up just one run on one hit over 4 1/3 innings with three walks and a strikeout.  Dunn, who hurled 2 2/3 innings of relief, picked up her first save season.

Ferreira had two more hits for Bridgewater in game two as she went 2-for-2 and was hit by a pitch.

Bridgewater will host a doubleheader with UMass-Dartmouth on Monday afternoon.  The Bears then open MASCAC Tournament play at Westfield State on Thursday.  MCLA will entertain Williams College in a doubleheader tomorrow to conclude their season.