Softball Splits Pair of Games at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic

By Jim Fenton

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. -- The pitching of Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.) enabled the Bridgewater State University softball team to gain a split of a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Hargreaves, a sophomore, tossed a three-hit shutout in the second game as the Bears defeated Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham, 2-0, in the afternoon at the Fastpitch Dreams Classic.

Earlier in the day, BSU lost to the University of Minnesota Morris, 9-0, in a game that went six innings.

BSU improved to 2-2 on its season-opening spring break trip. The Bears had two games against King's and Penn College canceled on Monday due to rain.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 2, FDU-Florham 0

Hargreaves gave up three singles and struck out nine while walking two in gaining the victory over the Devils (4-4).

FDU-Florham had an infield hit in the first inning, a single to left in the third and another infield hit in the seventh.

Hargreaves improved to 1-1 and has 15 strikeouts in two starts.

The Bears scored their only two runs in the top of the fifth inning.

Sophomore Sidney Schwartz (Chelmsford, Mass.) got things going with a triple to right field and scored on a fielder's choice by freshman Isabel Bishop (Lynn, Mass.).

A two-out triple to left field by sophomore Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) brought in Bishop with the game's final run.

Junior Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) went 3-for-3 for the Bears and is off to a 6-for-11 start while Ansell had two hits. BSU held a 7-3 edge in hits.

Game One: Minn. Morris 9, Bridgewater State 0 (6 Inn.)

The Bears were limited to three hits in losing to the Cougars (1-6) in six innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Junior Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) singled to left in the second, losing pitcher Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) singled up the middle in the third and Becker doubled to left in the fourth.

Minnesota Morris took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning when it had four hits and took advantage of two errors.

Senior Sierra Stevens (Brookings, S.D.) reached on an error and freshman Taylor Johnson (Verndale, Minn.) had an infield hit. An infield error on a ball hit by winning pitcher Alyssa Thornton (San Diego, Calif.) brought in the first run and freshman Jillian Anderson (Roseville, Calif.) delivered an RBI single to left.

Senior Malena Mahoney (Frazee, Minn.) singled to left for a run and senior Anna Athey (Mora, Minn.) had an RBI single to center for the 4-0 lead.

In the second, Johnson singled to center, went to second on Thornton's infield hit and came home on a bunt and an error for a 5-0 lead.

Minnesota Morris made it 6-0 in the fourth when Johnson singled through the left side, stole second and scored on Thornton's single up the middle.

The Cougars added three runs in the sixth. A bases-loaded fielder's choice by Losee scored one run and Athey had a two-run single through the right side.

Mendonca allowed four earned runs in five innings while sophomore Lily Gagnon (East Haven, Conn.) struck out two in her one inning.

Winning pitcher Thornton, a sophomore, struck out four with one walk.

BSU has another doubleheader on Thursday when it faces Penn State Beaver at 1 p.m. and Penn State Abington at 5 p.m. on the next-to-last day of the trip.