Softball Advances in MASCAC Tournament with 8-6 Win Over Framingham

By Jim Fenton

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team kept its season going Tuesday by winning an elimination game in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

The Bears scored four runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead for good and junior Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.) turned in a strong relief performance in the circle.

Fifth-seeded BSU advanced in the tourney with an 8-6 victory over fourth-seeded Framingham State University at the Maple Street Field.

The Bears (18-20) will play at second-seeded Worcester State University (23-14) on Thursday at 4 p.m. to begin the double-elimination portion of the tourney.

Both teams will then move to top-seeded Westfield State University for games in either the winner's or loser's bracket on Friday.

BSU's win over the Rams was its first in the MASCAC tourney since 2023 against Westfield State to send the Bears to the championship round.

Framingham State, which ended its season 17-22, had a 6-4 lead over BSU two innings into the game, but Hargreaves (5-8) kept the Rams scoreless in her 5 2/3 innings of relief.

Hargreaves entered the game with one out in the second and allowed two hits with eight strikeouts in the remainder of the game.

Down by two runs in the fourth, the Bears put together a four-run inning to move in front for good.

Senior Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) was hit by a pitch while junior Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) and sophomore Aubrey Carberry (Dartmouth, Mass.) loaded the bases with infield hits.

Senior Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) then doubled to left for two runs to make it 6-6.

Sophomore Arihana Mercado (South Grafton, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases and an infield hit by senior Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) made it 7-6.

The final run was scored on a fielder's choice by freshman Trinity Andelin (Wilmette, Ill.).

BSU had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

Lynch doubled to left and Ansell reached on an error, and they both scored on a throwing error on a ball hit by Carberry.

But the Rams took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the inning.

Sophomore Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson (Boston, Mass.) walked and sophomore Bella MacDonald (Pittsfield, Mass.) reached when an error was committed on her sacrifice bunt.

Junior Eliza Carignan (Epson, N.H.) tied the game with a double to left, and a groundout scored the third run.

BSU went ahead, 4-3, in the second inning as Becker doubled, went to third on a bunt single by sophomore Isabel Bishop (Lynn, Mass.) and scored on a groundout. A single by junior Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.) scored the second run of the inning.

Framingham State took the 6-4 lead in the bottom of the second.

After Etermad-Gilbertson and MacDonald drew walks, Carignan hit a three-run homer to allow the Rams to go back on top.

Hargreaves, who pitched a no-hitter against Anna Maria on Saturday, gave up just a leadoff double to freshman Nina Buda (Maywood, N.J.) in the sixth and a two-out single by sophomore Jocelyn Pepe (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) in the seventh.

Mendonca started for BSU, which made three errors, and allowed the six runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Junior Peyton Farris (El Paso, Texas) took the loss and is 10-8. She gave up eight runs and 11 hits with two strikeouts.

Ansell, Carberry, Becker and Schaefer had two hits each for the Bears while Carignan was 2-for-4 with four RBI for the Rams.

BSU had split a pair of games with Framingham State during the regular season, both ending early due to the mercy rule.

The Bears' next opponent, Worcester State, swept BSU on April 20 by scores of 6-1 and 4-3.

The other game on Thursday pits Westfield State (35-1) against the sixth-seeded Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (19-18). The Trailblazers eliminated Salem State, 6-3, Tuesday.