By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team was edged in a pair of games by the top team in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon.

Westfield State University improved to 31-1 overall by defeating the Bears, 4-2, in eight innings in the opener, and 4-3 in the second game at Alumni Park.

The Owls, who were nationally ranked earlier in the season during a 26-0 start, improved to 13-1 in the MASCAC. BSU is now 15-19, 6-8 in the conference and has dropped four games in a row.

Game One: Westfield State 4, Bridgewater State 2 (8 Inn.)

The teams were tied at 2-2 after seven innings before the Owls scored twice in the eighth.

Senior Mia Alfonso (Dalton, Mass.) singled up the middle to bring home sophomore Rylie Camacho (Attleboro, Mass.), who had singled before advancing to third. A single by junior Kassidy LaTour (Lebanon, Conn.) brought in the insurance run.

BSU, which was limited to six hits, took a 1-0 lead in the first, scoring with two outs.

Junior Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) and sophomore Aubrey Carberry (Dartmouth, Mass.) singled with senior Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) drove in the run with a single to right.

The Bears fell behind, 2-1, in the fifth inning when senior Sarah Hough (Southwick, Mass.) hit a two-run homer to center.

BSU tied it in the bottom of the inning with an unearned run. Senior Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) reached third base on a dropped fly ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.).

Mendonca, who was 2-for-3 at the plate, took the loss and is now 5-3. She allowed four runs and nine hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Hough, LaTour and junior Arielle Ostman (Woodbury, Minn.) had two hits each for Westfield State.

Winning pitcher Joss Mettey (Easthampton, Mass.), a junior, improved to 10-1. She struck out three in eight innings.

Game Two: Westfield State 4, Bridgewater State 3

BSU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game as well.

Lynch doubled to left and scored on a sacrifice by Schaefer.

The Owls went ahead, 2-1, in the third with Alfonso driving in a run with a single and LaTour getting a sacrifice fly.

BSU closed within 3-2 in the sixth when Lynch doubled, went to third on a sacrifice by Schaefer and scored on a groundout.

Westfield State added a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Hough.

The Bears got within a run again in the seventh when senior Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) homered to right-center. BSU put runners at second and third with two outs after Lynch walked, Schaefer singled and an error was committed, but Westfield State escaped.

Lynch and Carberry had two hits each for the Bears, who outhit the Owls, 7-5. Alfonso and Camacho had two hits apiece for Westfield State.

Junior Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.) took the loss, giving up four runs (two earned). She struck out six, including the 200th of her collegiate career.

Sophomore Angelina Vartuli (Middletown, Conn.) is 12-0 after picking up the win, striking out four.

BSU plays its final non-conference game Wednesday at 3 p.m., hosting Roger Williams.

Westfield State, which is 10-0 on the road, plays a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday at noon against Keene State.