Softball Splits Non-Conference Twinbill with UMass

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team split a non-conference twinbill with UMass Dartmouth on Monday afternoon at Alumni Park.  The host Bears won the opening game, 5-4, while UMass earned the split with a 3-2 victory in the nightcap.

Bridgewater is 17-21 on the season with the split.  The host Bears will travel to Westfield State University on Thursday to take on the Owls in the openiing round of the MASCAC Tournament.  UMass ends the 2011 season with an overall record of 12-27.

In the opener, senior pitcher Tracey Sanko (Windsor, Conn.) hurled four impressive innings of scoreless relief to lead the Bears to the comeback victory.  Sanko (4-10) gave up just one hit and struck out six as Bridgewater rallied from a three-run deficit.

Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth, the Bears loaded the bases with two outs as junior Michaela Ferreira (Fall River, Mass.) was hit by a pitch, sophomore Felecia Wissekerke (Uxbridge, Mass.) reached on an infield single and junior Stephanie Burns (North Attleboro, Mass.) walked.  Junior Mary Ashley (Dartmouth, Mass.) then singled to deep centerfield to drive in all three runners and tie the game at 4-4.

Bridgewater would win the game in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh.  With one out, Burns reached on a bunt single.  After an out, Burns advanced all the way to third on junior Jordan McDermott's (East Bridgewater, Mass.) bunt single and then raced home with the winning run as the Corsair defense was preoccupied with McDermott on the base paths.

Junior Brittany Eldridge (Raynham, Mass.), who relieved starter Ashley Felaccio (Acushnet, Mass.) in the sixth inning, suffered the loss for the Corsairs in game one.

Eldridge would rebound from the loss in game two as she pitched a complete game, two-hitter to help the Corsairs earn the split.

The Corsairs scored single runs in each of their first three at bats and that would prove to be enough.  The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when freshman Emily Pontes (Tewksbury, Mass.) doubled and junior Tracie Calvert (Sandwich, Mass.) singled her home.

UMass Dartmouth went up 2-0 in the second when Pontes drove in a run with a bases-loaded infield grounder, but the Bears came back with a run in their half when senior Heather McPherson (Mansfield, Mass.) drew a bases-loaded walk.

The Corsairs scored again in the third on Eldridge's RBI single. BSU answered in the bottom of the third after loading the bases as sophomore pinch runner Brianna DeNucci (Newton, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch, but that was all they could muster as Eldridge kept the Bears off the scoreboard over the final four innings.

Eldridge (9-21) earned the win despite walking five batters in the game and hitting one.  BSU sophomore Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Conn.) took the loss for the Bears.  Dunn (11-7) allowed three runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six.