Softball Falls to Rhodes, Simmons at The Spring Games

CLERMONT, Fla. -- THe Bridgewater State University softball team dropped a pair of games on Friday at The Spring Games in Clermont, Florida.

The Bears (3-5) dropped a 5-3 decision to Rhodes College and fell to Simmons University, 8-7, in eight innings.

Game One: Rhodes 5, Bridgewater State 3

Lauren King (Seattle, Wash.) picked up the win in the complete game effort in the circle for the Lynx (11-9). King (7-2) allowed three runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

King took a shutout into the seventh before giving up a three-run homer to Madison Synan (Quincy, Mass.) with one out in the bottom of the inning. The home run marked the first of the season for Synan and the second of her career.

Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) gave up two runs on six hits over four innings in the setback for the Bears. Hatch (1-3) walked one and fanned two. Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) came on in relief and allowed three runs on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts in three innings of work.

Rhodes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on RBI singles from King and Shannon Tierney (Plano, Ill). The Lynx tacked on two more in the fifth on run-scoring base hits by Marisa Moore (San Diego, Calif.) and Jess Hamer (Ridgeland, Miss.).

Jenna Roulan (San Diego, Calif.) doubled to lead off the sixth inning and came around to score when Peyton Clark (Franklin, Tenn.) reached on a two-base throwing error to extend the advantage to 5-0.

Clark (2-4, SB, R), Hamer (2-4, RBI) and Anna Kula (Longwood, Fla.) all finished with multiple hits for the Lynx. Kula went 2-for-3 with a walk, stolen base and run scored.

Game Two: Simmons 8, Bridgewater State 7 (8 Inn.)

Simmons rallied from a 6-1 deficit and won the game with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Maddie Castigliego (Bristol, R.I.) picked up the win in relief for the Sharks who improve to 8-2 on the season. Castigliego (5-0) allowed three runs on seven hits over five innings. She did not issue a walk and fanned one.

Reichert (2-2) went the distance in the circle for the Bears in the 132-pitch effort as she gave up eight runs, only five of which were earned, on nine hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.

A first inning sacrifice fly off the bat of Christie Bott (Seaford, N.Y.) staked Simmons to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Bridgewater knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the third on an RBI single by Megan Sharon (East Longmeadow, Mass.).

The Bears sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs on six hits in the top of the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. Kerrin McLaughlin (Haverhill, Mass.) drove home the first run of the frame with an RBI single, while Samantha Mulcahy (Taunton, Mass.) added a two-run double and Sharon capped of the inning with a two-run single.

Simmons answered with four runs in the home half of the fourth to cut the deficit to 6-5. The Sharks loaded the bases with two outs when Castigliego connected on a line drive base hit to right that was misplayed in the outfield allowing all three runners to score. Alex Morang (Windham, Maine) then plated Castigliego with an RBI single up the middle.

In the top of the sixth, Mulcahy reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Emma Healy (Plymouth, Mass.) followed with a bunt single and stole second to put runners on second and third with nobody out. After a shallow fly out turned into a double play with Mulcahy being cut down at the plate, Sharon lined a clutch two-out single up the middle to score Healy and extend the BSU lead to 7-5.

The score remained 7-5 until the bottom of the seventh. Allie Mulhern (Westford, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and stole second to lead off the frame. Molly Hennessey (Charlton, Mass.) followed with an infield single off the pitcher's glove and stole second to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Mulhern tagged up and scored on Bott's sacrifice foul out to right to make it a one-run game. Marissa Santoro (Franklin, Mass.) then rapped an RBI single up the middle to plate Hennessey with the game-tying run.

With the tie-breaker rule in effect, the Sharks kept the Bears off the board in the top of the eighth thanks to an inning-ending double play. In the home half of the eighth, pinch runner Danielle Carson advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Morang then won the game with a walk-off sacrifice fly to left.

Shannon McMahon (El Cajon, Calif.) went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk to lead the Simmons' offense. Hennessey (24, SB, R) also finished with multiple hits for the Sharks.

Mulcahy was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, a sacrifice bunt, two runs and two RBI to highlight the Bears' 15-hit attack. Sharon went 3-for-4 with a stolen base and drove in four runs, while Alexandra Taylor (Hebron, Conn.) singled twice in four at bats.

Bridgewater State left eight runners on base, while Simmons stranded five.

The Bears' Florida trip continues on Saturday when they take on Heidelberg University at 11:30 AM and Wittenberg University at 1:30 PM.