Softball Drops Pair of Games to WPI

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting WPI softball team swept a doubleheader with Bridgewater State University on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Park. WPI won the opener, 11-0, and completed the sweep with a 3-2 win in extra innings.

The Engineers improve to 15-11 on the season, while the Bears fall to 12-13-1. The two teams have met just six times with WPI holding a 5-1 lead in the all-time series.

Game One: WPI 11, Bridgewater State 0 (5 Inn.)

Two WPI pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout as the Engineers rolled to an 11-0 five-inning mercy rule victory in game one of the twinbill.

Freshman righthander Shaina Lazarus (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) picked up the win in relief for the visitors as she tossed four scoreless innings. Lazarus (2-2) gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out five. Graduate righthander Katie Martin (Bedford, N.H.) worked a one-two-three first inning and fanned two.

WPI sent 11 batters to plate in an eight-run first which featured eight hits, all singles. Lazarus, freshman first baseman Kelly Pritchard (Orange, Conn.), senior designated player Stephanie Bishop (Milford, N.H.) and sophomore centerfielder Sydney Russell (Arlington, Va.) each recorded RBI singles in the frame.

Sophomore catcher Jocelyn Diaz (Reedley, Calif.) belted a two-run homer over the left field fence in the top of the second to make it a 10-0 game. A BSU fielding error with two outs in the frame kept the inning alive as both runs were unearned.

An RBI single by Diaz in the fourth extended the WPI lead to 11-0.

Diaz (3-3, HR) and Russell (3-3, R, RBI) both finished with three hits in the opener to highlight the Engineers' 13-hit attack. Pritchard went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, while junior second baseman Alicia Salvalzo (Hudson, N.H.) singled twice in three at bats and scored a run.

Junior first baseman Olivia Silva (Somerset, Mass.) recorded both Bears' hits as she singled twice in two trips to the plate.

Freshman righthander McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) pitched well for Bridgewater State in relief of senior starter Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.). Cusack allowed just one run on four hits over 3 1/3 innings of work with no walks and three strikeouts.

Game Two: WPI 3, Bridgewater State 2 (8 Inn.)

WPI completed the sweep with a 3-2 victory in eight innings.

The Engineers pushed across an unearned run in the top of the second inning. Three straight singles by Lazarus, Pritchard and Diaz to open the frame and a misplayed ball out in right field gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. BSU senior pitcher Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) came on in relief of Cusack with runners on second and third with nobody out and notched back-to-back strikeouts followed by a harmless fly ball to avoid any further damage.

The Bears threatened in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back one out singles by Silva and sophomore left fielder Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) but were unable to score.

Bridgewater finally got on the board in the fifth. Silva singled with one out but was forced at on Jolly's fielder's choice grounder. After Jolly stole second, Marcotte worked a walk to put runners at first and second. Senior right fielder Emma Healy (Plymouth, Mass.) then lined an RBI single to left to plate Jolly with the game-tying run.

The score remained 1-1 as the game went into extra innings.

In the eighth with the tie-breaker rule in effect, the Engineers loaded the bases with one out. Russell rapped an RBI base hit up the middle with the second run of the frame coming around as a result of a BSU throwing error.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Bears had runners at the corners with nobody out after senior centerfielder Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) reached on an error. After a caught stealing and a strikeout, freshman second baseman Amelia Blake (Raynham, Mass.) lined an RBI single into right field to cut the deficit to one. Martin, who was in her third inning of work, then ended the game with a strikeout.

Martin (10-4) picked up the win in relief for WPI. She allowed one unearned run on two hits over three innings with two walks and four strikeouts.

Pritchard worked the first 4 2/3 innings for the Engineers giving up just one run on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Lazarus retired the only batter she faced after coming on with runners at second and third with two outs in the fifth.

Reichert (7-4) suffered the loss in the circle for the Bears despite pitching very well in seven innings of relief. She retired the first 19 batters she faced and gave up just two hits with no walks and struck out six.

Silva and Healy were the only two batters to register multiple hits in the game. Healy added a triple to her RBI single, while Silva went 2-for-3.

Both teams are back in action on Friday afternoon. The Bears entertain the Vikings of Salem State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader starting at two o'clock, while the Engineers travel to MIT for a three o'clock New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) twinbill.