Softball Splits MASCAC Twinbill with Fitchburg

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University baseball team split a MASCAC doubleheader with Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Park. Bridgewater dropped the first game in eight innings, 5-4, but came back to earn the split with a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.

The Bears are now 11-15 on the season and 3-3 in the MASCAC.  The Falcons' record goes to 11-16 overall and 3-3 in conference play.

In game two, Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Conn.) shut down the Falcons over the final 6 1/3 innings to pick up the win in relief of starter Courtney Gregoire (Dartmouth, Mass.). Dunn (8-4) did not allow a run and scattered four hits while striking out four.  She came on with two outs and two runs already in for Fitchburg in the top of the first and put an end to any further damage with a strikeout.

The Bears pushed across four runs in the second on the strength of back-to-back-to back RBI doubles by Kelly Fahey (Milton, Mass.), Melissa Harmon (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Tracey Sanko (Windsor, Conn.).  That would be all the scoring in the game as the Bears went on to the 4-2 win.

Sanko finished 2-for-3 at the plate in game two with an RBI, while Casey Hill (Randolph, Mass.) also had two hits in three at bats.  Fahey went 1-for-2 with two runs batted in.

Allison Cousins (Leominster, Mass.) pitched well in relief of starter Nancy Henry (Forestdale, Mass.)  Cousins scattered three hits over four shutout innings and struck out three. Karen Skoczylas (Palmer, Mass.) led the way for the Falcons offensively as she went 4-for-4 with a double and stolen base and also scored a run.

In the opener, Jillian Moses (Dedham, Mass,) belted a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie as the Falcons held on for the 5-4 victory.  Shannon Fitzgerald (Blackstone, Mass.) led off the top of the eighth with a single and was still standing at first two outs later.  Moses fell behind in the count 0-2, but then drilled the next offering over the left field fence to give Fitchburg the 5-3 lead.

Sanko homered with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but FSU reliever Jessica Drago (Stoughton, Mass.) induced a harmless pop-up to end the game.

The Bears had trailed 3-1 entering the last of the seventh but rallied for two runs to force extra innings.  Bridgewater took advantage of two Fitchburg miscues in the frame and ultimately scored the tying run on a bases loaded walk.

Fitchburg starter Nicole Monroe (Townsend, Mass.) went the first 6 1/3 innings and gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits with six walks and four strikeouts. She also hit two batters.  Drago (1-2) pitched the last inning and two-thirds to record her first collegiate win.  

The Falcons banged out 13 hits in the opener, but also left 12 runners on base.  Fitzgerald, Skoczylas, Moses, Monroe and Megan Breault (Palmer, Mass.) all had two hits apiece.

Sanko worked the first five plus innings for the Bears in game one, allowing just one run on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts.  Dunn suffered the loss out of the pen as she gave up four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

Bridgewater had only four hits in the opener but were also issued seven walks and hit by a pitch twice.  Penny King (Hanover, Mass.) paced the Bears with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate.  Brianna Strecker (Waterford, Conn.) went 1-for-3 and drove in two runs.

Bridgewater will travel to MCLA on Patriot's Day for a pair of MASCAC games with the Trailblazers starting at 1:00 PM.