Softball Splits Twinbill to Open Home Slate

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team split a non-conference doubleheader to open its home schedule on Saturday afternoon.

The Bears had a three-game winning streak stopped in the opener, losing to Norwich University, 10-5, before using a four-run fifth inning to secure a 7-4 victory over the Cadets in the second game at Alumni Park.

BSU is 7-4 while Norwich is 2-10 after the first meetings between the two programs.

The Bears had 28 hits in the two games with senior Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) and freshman Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.) getting six hits apiece.

Game One: Norwich 10, Bridgewater State 5

The Cadets broke a four-game losing streak with the win in the opener, using a six-run fourth inning to defeat the Bears.

BSU took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring the runs after there were two outs.

Jolly tripled and scored on a single by Schaefer, who advanced on an error. Sophomore Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) tripled to left field and sophomore Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) singled to center to each drive in a run.

Norwich then opened a 9-3 lead by scoring six in the fourth and three in the fifth.

The Cadets had seven hits in the fourth inning and took advantage of a pair of BSU errors.

Junior Maren McGinn (Georgia, Vt.) brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly, scoring freshman Adrianna Barrera (Connell, Wash.), who had singled. A triple by sophomore Taylor Farnsworth (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) scored DeCota, who had singled, and two runs scored on a double to left by junior Rachel Kempf (Warwick, R.I.).

Freshman Hailey Williams (Tamaqua, Pa.) had an RBI double to right-center field and she scored on a wild pitch.

In the fifth, McGinn had a two-run single to left after hits by Barrera and DeCota while freshman Courtney Thomas (Strafford, N.H.) doubled to left-center for a six-run lead.

BSU scored a run in the sixth when Becker singled to left, stole second and came home on an error. Norwich scored its final run in the seventh as DeCota singled, went to second on an error and scored after two wild pitches.

The Bears' final run in the seventh came when Schaefer singled home freshman Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.), who had reached on an infield hit.

Becker was 3-for-3 with an RBI and Schaefer went 3-for-4 with two RBI for BSU. Junior Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) and Jolly were 2-for-4 for the Bears.

DeCota went 3-for-4 and winning pitcher McGinn was 2-for-3 with three RBI for the Cadets.

Both teams had 13 hits and the Bears left six runners on base. Starter Madelyn Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) worked 3 2/3 innings and was charged with the loss.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 7, Norwich 4

The Bears and Cadets were tied, 3-3, going into the bottom of the fifth when BSU put together the four-run inning.

Jolly got the inning going with a single to left and advanced on a single to left-center by Becker.

Ansell tripled to right-center and scored on a single to center by junior Riley Fitzgerald (Swansea, Mass.). A single to left by Marcotte brought in Fitzgerald later in the inning for a 7-3 lead.

BSU opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning as winning pitcher Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) walked and Jolly singled with a passed ball putting runners at second and third.

Schaefer then delivered a single to center for the first two runs of the game.

Norwich got within 2-1 in the third as DeCota reached on an infield hit and scored on Thomas' double to left-center.

BSU went up, 3-1, in the fourth with Marcotte getting a two-out infield single to score Fitzgerald, who had singled and advanced on a wild pitch and passed ball.

The Cadets tied it in the fifth inning as Barrera and DeCota had back-to-back doubles for one run while an error brought in the second run.

The scoring was completed in the sixth when DeCota doubled with two outs to score Kempf.

Mendonca (2-0) went five innings for the win, allowing four runs and striking out eight. Freshman Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.) struck out two in two innings of relief for her first collegiate save.

Jolly was 4-for-4, including her 100th career hit, and scored two runs to lead the Bears while Schaefer was 3-for-4 with two RBI.

BSU also got two hits each from Marcotte, Fitzgerald and freshman Kyleah Plumb (Taunton, Mass.).

DeCota was 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI for the Cadets while Thomas and Brianna Vitale (Rock Tavern, N.Y.) had two hits each.

BSU will play a doubleheader on Tuesday at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth starting at 3 p.m.

Norwich is idle until playing a doubleheader at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy on March 23.

Notes: Becker (8 games), Jolly (7 games) and Ansell (6 games) each extended hitting streaks.