Softball Sweeps MASCAC Twnibill with MCLA

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University softball team swept a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader with visiting MCLA on Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Park. Bridgewater State won the first game, 7-4, and complete the sweep with a 9-1 victory in the nightcap. Game two went six innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

The host Bears improve to 15-18 on the season and 10-2 in the MASCAC, while the Trailblazers fall to 10-20 overall and 5-7 in conference play.

Game One

Freshman Megan Sharon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) went 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs, and classmate Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) earned the complete game win in the circle to lead the Bears to the 7-4 victory in game one.

Bridgewater opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first. Junior Samantha Mulcahy (Taunton, Mass.) reached on a bunt single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Sharon's RBI single.

MCLA strung together three hits and took advantage of a pair of BSU errors to plate two runs in the top of third and take a 2-1 lead.

The Bears answered with four runs in the home half of the third to jump back on top, 5-2. Sharon plated the first run of the frame with an RBI single, while senior Jenny Heller (Taunton, Mass.) added a two-run single and sophomore Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

The Trailblazers cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fourth as senior Kaitlyn Berghela (Watervliet, N.Y.) doubled and scored on a two-out, RBI single off the bat of junior Erika Quackenbush (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.).

Bridgewater got one back in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Alexandra Taylor (Hebron, Conn.) reached on an infield single to lead off the inning, moved to second on a ground out and scored on senior Courtney Gouveia's (Taunton, Mass.) two-out, RBI single.

The Bears extended the lead to 7-3 with a run in the fifth. Heller led off the frame with a base hit and advanced to second on a fly out. One out later, junior Meghan Navarro (Taunton, Mass.) rifled a base hit to left to drive in Heller.

MCLA loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the seventh on a walk and two singles. Following a strikeout, a fielder's choice ground out pulled the Trailblazers to within three, 7-4. Hatch then induced a harmless ground out to end the game.

Hatch (2-3) allowed four runs (three earned) on ten hits. She walked two and fanned four.

Mulcahy (2-for-4, 2R), Heller (2-for-3, R, 2RBI) and senior Mackenzie Holt (Gilroy, Calif.) also finished with multiple hits for the Bears in game one. Holt went 2-for-3 and scored a run.

Sophomore Samantha Feinstein (Yarmouth, Mass.) went the distance in the setback for the Trailblazers. Feinstein (6-8) gave up seven runs on 12 hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Berghela was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and two runs scored to lead the MCLA offense. Junior Kayln Holliday (Catskill, N.Y.) and sophomore Alanza Quinones (North Adams, Mass.) added two hits apiece for the visitors, while Quackenbush went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and two RBI.

Game Two

Junior Natalie Sorrenti (Bridgewater, Mass.) tossed a complete game, two-hitter as the Bears completed the sweep with a 9-1 six-inning victory in game two.

Sorrenti (7-6) gave up just one unearned run on two hits with no walks and three strikeouts as she recorded her team-leading seventh win of the season.

Heller went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three runs and an RBI, while Mulcahy singled three times in five at bats and drove in a run to pace the Bridgewater's 16-hit attack.

Holt (2-for-3, BB), Navarro (2-for-4, R, RBI) and junior Shannon Grindle (Halifax, Mass.) also recorded multiple hits for the Bears in game two. Grindle went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs and two RBI.

Bridgewater got on the board in the bottom of the second inning as Heller singled and later scored on Navarro's RBI base hit.

The Bears tacked on three runs in the third to make it a 4-0 game. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Sharon and Heller plated the first two runs of the frame and Heller would later score on a wild pitch.

A pinch hit, two-run double off the fence in left field by senior Tabitha Domeij (Westborough, Mass.) in the bottom of the fifth extended the BSU lead to 6-0.

The Trailblazers scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth to break up Sorrenti's shutout bid.

A two-run double by Grindle in the bottom of the sixth made it 8-1. Following back-to-back outs, Grindle advanced to third on Holt's base hit and Mulcahy lined a walk-off single off the second baseman's glove to plate Grindle with the game-ending run.

Junior Kara Adams (Walden, N.Y.) suffered the loss in the circle for MCLA. Adams (2-10) allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 16 hits over 5 2/3 innings with three walks and a strikeout.

In upcoming action, the Bears travel to UMass Dartmouth on Thursday afternoon for a non-conference twinbill with the Corsairs with game one getting underway at 3:30. The Trailblazers head to The Sage Colleges on Wednesday afternoon for a pair of games with the Gators starting at three.