Sanko Leads Softball to Doubleheader Split with UMass Boston

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Junior Tracey Sanko (Windsor, CT) hurled a complete game victory and went 3-for-3 at the plate as the Bridgewater State College softball team salvaged a split of a doubleheader with a 2-1 victory over UMass Boston on Friday afternoon.  The Bears dropped an 11-5 decision in game one of the twinbill.

With the doubleheader split, Bridgewater State is now 13-18 on the season while UMass goes to 17-12.

Sanko (2-1) scattered five hits over seven inning with a pair of walks and six strikeouts.  Her only blemish was an RBI triple off the bat of UMass junior Christina Polsonetti (Revere, MA) which gave the Beacons a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.

Sanko helped out her own in cause in the bottom half of the fifth as she led off the frame with a bunt single and moved to second when sophomore Michaela Ferreira (Fall River, MA) was hit by a pitch.  After a sacrifice bunt, sophomore Stephanie Burns (North Attleboro, MA) reached on a suicide squeeze as the Beacons unsuccessfully attempted to cut down Sanko at the plate.  After Burns stole second, senior Lauren Cucinotta (Franklin, MA) plated Ferreira with a single between second and first to give BSC the 2-1 lead.  Burns tried to score from second on the base hit but was thrown out at the plate.  

Junior left-hander Emily Wolf (Salem, NH) suffered the loss in the circle for UMass as she allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Wolf (10-6) was also the pitcher of record in the Beacons' 11-5 game one victory.  She came on in relief of sophomore starter Kara Willis (Burrillville, RI) and hurled four shutout inning.  Wolf gave up just three hits and struck out five. 

Game one of the doubleheader was originally played on Thursday afternoon but was halted in the middle of the fifth inning with UMass leading 10-5. 

Freshman Courtney Gregoire (Dartmouth, MA) took the loss for Bridgewater State in the opener as she dropped to 0-2 on the season.  Three BSC pitchers combined to give up 11 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits and four walks.

Sophomore Jaci Goodwin (Melrose, MA) paced UMass Boston's 12-hit attack as she went 4-for-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in.  Junior Marie Nasta (Andover, MA) was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in the first inning and a two-run single in the second as she drove in four runs for the game.

Freshman Sue Killilea (Abington, MA) went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored.  She opened the scoring with an RBI triple in the first and came around to score on Nasta's home-run.  The Beacons scored three times in the opening frame.

Sophomore Lisa Polsonetti (Revere, MA) also belted a two-run homer for UMass as she was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.  Polsonetti's blast came during the Beacons' five-run second inning.

Offensively for Bridgewater State, Cucinotta went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and a stolen base in game one, while Burns was 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Bridgewater will host a MASCAC doubleheader with MCLA on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1 PM.  UMass entertains Western Connecticut State University in a Little East Conference doubleheader also on Saturday starting at 1.