Softball Downs Clarkson in Eight Innings, Falls to Nichols at The Spring Games

CLERMONT, Fla. – The Bridgewater State University softball team split a pair of games on Sunday at The Spring Games in Clermont, Florida. The Bears dropped a 7-2 decision to Nichols College and posted a 6-5 win in eight innings over Clarkson University.

The Bears wrapped up their Florida trip with a record of 4-8.

Game One: Nichols 7, Bridgewater State 2

The Bison jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Samantha Kostek (Oxford, Conn.) walked to lead off the frame and moved to second when Colleen Callahan (Billerica, Mass.) reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. After an out, Alexandria Rodi (Cranston, R.I.) connected for a two-run double to open the scoring.

The game remained that way until the top of the fifth when the Bison pushed across three runs to extend the lead to 5-0. Allie Brown (Middlebury, Conn.) drove in a run with an RBI single, while Jessica Kuelling (Gales Ferry, Conn.) connected for a two-run base knock.

Nichols tacked on two more runs in the seventh to make it a 7-0 game. Brown walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Kuelling followed with a base hit to right and Brown raced home on a throwing error. Kuelling then scored on an RBI single off the bat of Mackenzie Bourgault (Fairhaven, Mass.).

Bridgewater broke up the shutout bid with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Courtney Gouveia (Taunton, Mass.) doubled, Jenny Heller (Chicopee, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and Kim Scanlon (Medford, Mass.) singled to load the bases with nobody out. Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to center to plate Gouveia, but the Bears' ran themselves out of a potential big inning as two base runners were erased on the play. After Meghan Navarro (Taunton, Mass.) reached on an error, Samantha Mulcahy (Taunton, Mass.) drove in Ruprecht with an infield single to account for the final score of 7-2.

Alyssa Ouellette (Auburn, N.H.) went the distance to pick up the win in the circle for the Bison. Ouellette (2-0) gave up two runs (one earned) on ten hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Kuelling (2-3, R, 2RBI) and Bourgault (2-3, BB, RBI) finished with two hits apiece for the Bison who improve to 2-3 on the season.

Ruprecht went 3-for-3 with a double, run and an RBI to pace the Bears' ten-hit attack. Mulcahy (2-4, SB, RBI) and Emma Healy (Plymouth, Mass.) also recorded multiple hits for Bridgewater State. Healy doubled and singled in four at bats.

Ashley Leonard (Acushnet, Mass.) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit in the setback for the Bears. Leonard (0-1) walked three and fanned one. Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) gave up five runs on six hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts in five innings of relief.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 6, Clarkson 5 (8 Inn.)

Madison Synan (Quincy, Mass.) went 4-for-4 and belted her second home run of the season to lead Bridgewater State to the 6-5 victory over Clarkson in eight innings.

Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) went the distance in the circle for the Bears to pick up her third win of the season. Reichert (3-3) gave up five runs (three earned) on nine hits with five walks and four strikeouts.

The Bears led 4-0 at one point in the contest and 5-2 after six innings of play. The Golden Knights rallied for three runs in bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.

Bridgewater pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the first to jump out to an early lead. The Bears loaded the bases with nobody out as Mulcahy singled, Healy reached on an error and Synan singled. Megan Sharon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) plated Mulcahy with a sacrifice fly and Heller knocked in Healy with a sacrifice bunt to make it a 2-0 game.

The Bears tacked on an unearned run in the fourth on an RBI single by Navarro. Synan homered with two outs in the fifth to make it a 4-0 game.

Clarkson answered with a pair of unearned in the home half of the fifth. Hannah Bowen (Batavia, N.Y.) tripled with two outs and Michele Winn (Latham, N.Y.) walked to put runners at the corners. Krystin Messier (Clifton Park, N.Y.) then reached on an error to score Bowen with the Golden Knights' first run of the game and Sarah Vaccaro (Fayetteville, N.Y.) followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2.

The Bears got a run back in the top of the sixth as Gouveia singled with one out and raced around the bases on Ruprecht's RBI double.

Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Winn doubled to lead off the inning and Messier followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners. Vaccaro then connected for a two-run double and two batters later scored the game-tying run on an RBI ground out.

In the top of the eighth with the tie-breaker in effect, Ruprecht knocked in Alexandra Taylor (Hebron, Conn.) from third with an RBI ground out to give the Bears a 6-5 lead.

Reichert worked out of a first and third jam with one out in the bottom of the eighth as she induced a harmless pop up to second and a game-ending line out to short.

Along with Synan's four-hit performance, Mulcahy also finished with multiple hits for the Bears. Mulcahy went 2-for-4 and scored a run.

Bridgewater State banged out 11 hits in the contest.

Vaccaro went 3-for-4 with a double, a run and three RBI to pace Clarkson's nine-hit attack. Messier (2-5, R) also recorded multiple hits for the Golden Knights who stranded 13 runners on base.

Leah Allen (North Grafton, Mass.) went the first six innings in the circle for the Golden Knights and gave up five runs (two earned) on nine hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Riley Page (Norwalk, Conn.)  came on in relief of Allen and worked the final two innings. Page (0-1) allowed one unearned run on two hits.