Softball Sweeps Pair of Games

CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team swept a pair of games on Tuesday in Cape Coral, Florida.  The Bears defeated Pittsburgh-Bradford and New Jersey City by identical scores of 9-1.

Bridgewater State improves to 6-2 as the Bears extended their winning streak to five games. BSU won both games by the eight-run mercy rule.

In the win over Pitt-Bradford, the Bears put the game out of reach early with a six-run, first inning. Samantha LoPilato (Medford, Mass.) doubled in a pair of runs in the frame while Cassidy Morrow (Dighton, Mass.) added a two-run single.

Morrow, who went 2-for-3 in the contest with three runs drive in, added an RBI single in the third inning to stake the Bears to a 7-0 lead.

BSU plated a pair of unearned runs in the sixth.

Kathleen Bailey (Bayport, N.Y.) went all six innings to earn her second win of the season in the circle.  Bailey (2-0) gave up a run on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Jackie Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.) went 2-for-4 at the dish with a double and two runs scored. Kelly McCarthy (Burlington, Mass.) also banged out a pair of hits as she went 2-for-3 and scored two runs.

The Bears scored two runs in each of the first four innings en route to the 9-1, five-inning victory over New Jersey City.

Iliana Rivera (Naugatuck, Conn.) was the beneficiary of the outstanding run support. Rivera (2-1) scattered six hits in the complete game effort as she allowed just the one run while walking two and fanning four.  Rivera also hit a pair of batters as she stranded eight runners.

Breanna Shaffer (Plainville, Mass.) and Courtney Leddy (Saugus, Mass.) paced the Bears' 14-hit attack.  Shaffer went 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI, while Leddy was 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk-off triple, three RBI and a run scored. Leddy tripled home Shaffer to end the game in the fifth due to the mercy rule.

Tara McCann (Fall River, Mass.) and Angelica Banning (East Granby, Conn.) also had multiple hits for BSU. McCann singled twice, walked and scored a run in three plate appearances, while Banning went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI.

The Bears wraps up their Florida trip on Wednesday.  BSU takes on Olivet College at 9:00 AM and Emmanuel College at 11:00 AM.