Softball Splits Pair of Games to Wrap Up Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic

By Jim Fenton

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team finished its stay at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic by splitting a doubleheader.

The Bears committed five errors in the opener on Friday and lost to Penn State Altoona, 13-8, before defeating the University of Valley Forge, 8-0, in a game shortened in the fifth inning by the mercy rule.

BSU went 6-4 on the spring break trip and had one game in which the Bears led over Lancaster Bible canceled due to rain.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 8, Valley Forge 0 (5 Inn.)

The Bears had only three hits in the win, taking advantage of nine walks.

BSU did all of its scoring in the first two innings, taking a 2-0 lead in the opening frame.

Senior Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) walked and stole two bases while junior Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) walked and stole second.

Sophomore Aubrey Carberry (North Dartmouth, Mass.) singled in Lynch and an error in the outfield score Ansell.

The Bears scored six times in the second with just one hit.

Sophomore Isabel Bishop (Lynn, Mass.) and junior Sidney Schwartz (Chelmsford, Mass.) walked and junior Savanah Dubois (New Bedford, Mass.) had an infield hit to load the bases.

Lynch, junior Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.) and Ansell drew walks with the bases loaded to make it 5-0 and a sacrifice fly to right by Carberry scored another run.

Junior Lily Gagnon (East Haven, Conn.) walked to force in the seventh run and a wild pitch scored the game's final run.

Gagnon (2-0) struck out seven, walked one and gave up only three hits in her five innings.

After the second inning, the lone hit by BSU was a double by Schaefer.

Game One: Penn State Altoona 13, Bridgewater State 8

The Bears committed five errors and gave up five unearned runs in the loss to the Lions, ending a three-game winning streak.

Starting pitcher Trinity Andelin (Wilmette, Ill.), a freshman, hit her first career homer and went 2-for-3 with three RBI while Schaefer added two hits.

Andelin gave up four earned runs in four innings while senior Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) took the loss in relief, pitching two innings.

BSU held an 8-7 lead in the fourth inning but did not score the rest of the way. Penn State Altoona (8-5) sealed the win with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth.

The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the second when an infield error scored Andelin, who had reached on an infield hit.

Penn State Altoona went up, 2-1, in the bottom of the inning with sophomore Allison Beeman (Tyrone, Pa.) getting an RBI single and sophomore Lauren Davidson (Clearfield, Pa.) drawing a bases-loaded walk.

BSU took a 5-2 lead in the top of the third.

Lynch tripled to left-center and scored on a double down the left-field line by Schaefer.

After a single to center by Carberry, Andelin hit her homer with two outs to left field for the three-run lead.

The Lions scored five in the bottom of the inning to open a 7-5 edge.

Sophomore Madison Kennedy (Williamsburg, Pa.) had an RBI single through the left side and sophomore Kara Lansberry (Williamsburg, Pa.) added a two-run double to left-center.

A groundout by Davidson added a run and freshman Alexa Baney (Snow Shoe, Pa.) singled in the last run of the inning.

BSU scored three in the fourth inning to retake the lead at 8-7.

Schaefer singled through the left side, moved up on a single by Ansell and scored on an error.

Sophomore Arihana Mercado (South Grafton, Mass.) delivered a two-run single down the line in left.

In the bottom of the fourth, Penn State Altoona tied it at 8-8 with an unearned run and scored a run in the fifth on an RBI single to right-center by junior Riley Best (Coalport, Pa.).

The Lions scored all four of their runs in the sixth with two outs.

Baney singled in one with the bases loaded and sophomore Gracie Wilt (Altoona, Pa.), sophomore Karli Storm (Chest Springs, Pa.) and Best also drove in runs with hits.

BSU was outhit by Penn State Altoona, 15-10, with Baney and Kennedy getting three each for the winners.

The Bears are scheduled to play their first game in New England on March 21 at Salve Regina, a doubleheader starting at noon.