Softball Falls to Juniata, Catholic at The Spring Games

LEESBURG, Fla. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team suffered a pair of setbacks on Sunday at The Spring Games in Leesburg, Florida.

The Bears (1-3) dropped a 9-0 decision in five innings to Juniata College in game one, and were edged in game two, 4-2, by Catholic University.

Game One

Juniata scored nine runs over the first three innings as the Eagles (1-0) cruised to the 9-0 victory. The game was stopped after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Junior Alyssa Shedlock (State College, Pa.), senior Abby Ebright (Harrisburg, Pa.), freshman Maggie Peck (Philipsburg, Pa.) and junior Molly Ulrich (Homer, N.Y.) each recorded multiple hits to highlight the Eagles' 11-hit attack. Shedlock went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBI, while Ebright was 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple, a walk, a run and three RBI. Peck was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored, and Ulrich went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.

Sophomore Erin Pfeffer (Camp Hill, Pa.) tossed shutout ball for 4 1/3 innings to pick up the win in the circle for Juniata. Pfeffer (1-0) scattered seven hits, did not issue a walk and fanned two.

Junior Shannon Grindle (Halifax, Mass.) singled twice in two at bats, while classmate Meghan Navarro (Taunton, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with a pair of base hits to lead the Bridgewater State offense.

Three BSU hurlers combined to give up nine runs (seven earned) on 11 hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) was the pitcher of record in her first collegiate start. Classmate Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) tossed a scoreless inning of relief.

Game Two

Trailing 4-2 in the seventh inning, the Bears put runners on second and third with one out following a leadoff single by Grindle and a one-out double by senior Jenny Heller (Taunton, Mass.). The rally, however, fell short when a fly out to center resulted in a game-ending double play.

Catholic jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. The Cardinals (1-2) scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning on a throwing error and an RBI ground out. Sophomore Sophie Maccarone (Haddonfield, N.J.) belted a two-run homer in the second.

The Bears got on the board in the top of the third on Grindle's RBI single. Bridgewater added a run in the fourth on freshman Emma Healy's (Plymouth, Mass.) run-scoring single to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Grindle went 3-for-4 with a double to pace the Bears' 12-hit attack as she is batting .636 (7-11) over the first four games of the season. Heller and Healy also finished with multiple hits as they both went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Reichert (0-2) went the distance in the circle as she gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits in six innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

Junior Sabrina Scott (Medford, N.J.) picked up the win for the Cardinals. Scott (1-1) worked six-plus innings allowing two runs on 11 hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts. She also hit two batters.

Sophomore Allie Lajeunesse (Latham, N.Y.) recorded her first save of the season as she tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Lajeunesse entered the game after Scott gave up Grindle's lead-off single in the seventh.

The Bears are back in action on Monday when they take on Coast Guard (9:45 AM) and Carroll University (1:45 PM).