Softball Wraps Up MASCAC Regular Season Title with Senior Day Sweep of Worcester State

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University softball team captured the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) regular season title as the Bears swept visiting Worcester State University in the regular season finales for both teams on Friday afternoon at Alumni Park. Bridgewater won the opening game of the doubleheader, 2-1 in eight innings, and completed the sweep with a 5-3 victory in game two.

Winners of seven straight games, the Bears wrap up regular season play with an overall record of 21-14-1 including a 12-2 mark in the MASCAC. The Lancers fall to 18-18 overall and 11-3 in conference play. Bridgewater will be the top seed in next week's MASCAC Tournament. Worcester will be either the two or three seed depending upon the outcome of Saturday's remaining conference games.

Game One: Bridgewater State 2, Worcester State 1 (8 Inn.)

Senior shortstop Megan Sharon's (East Longmeadow, Mass.) walk-off RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Bears to a dramatic 2-1 victory in game one.

Sophomore righthander Madelyn Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) pitched very well for the Bears but did not factor in the decision. Klingel allowed just one unearned run on eight hits over seven-plus innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Senior righthander Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) picked up the win in relief.

Sophomore righty Emily Bartlett (Lowell, Mass.) was saddled with the tough-luck loss in the complete game effort for the Lancers. Bartlett (9-8) gave up just two unearned runs on six hits over 7 2/3 innings with no walks and ten strikeouts.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when key errors would impact the contest. With one out in the home half of the sixth, senior right fielder Emma Healy (Plymouth, Mass.) reached on a dropped fly ball and advanced to third on double by freshman second baseman Amelia Blake (Raynham, Mass.). After a strikeout, Healy raced home with the first run of the afternoon when sophomore designated player Madison Dana's (Lynn, Mass.) infield pop-up was dropped.

The Lancers answered with an unearned run in the top of the seventh. With two outs, senior right fielder Ally Tocman (Shrewsbury, Mass.) reached on an infield error and scored all the way from first on a double to deep right-center off the bat of freshman designated player Abigail Koziol (Lunenburg, Mass.).

Reichert came on with a runner on second and nobody out in the top of the eighth and ultimately worked out of a bases loaded jam to keep the game knotted at 1-1.

Healy led off the bottom of the eighth with a base hit and advanced to third when Blake reached on an error on an attempted sacrifice bunt. Two outs later, Sharon smacked an RBI single to deep right-center to plate Healy with the winning run.

Sharon went 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI, while Blake doubled twice in three at bats and stole a base.

Bartlett, sophomore second baseman Brynna Meeker (Northwood, N.H.) and junior third baseman Rachel Sinclair (Westminster, Mass.) each finished with multiple hits for Worcester State.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 5, Worcester State 3

Bridgewater State rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit and come away with a 5-3 win in game two and a sweep of the doubleheader.

The Bears strung together four hits in a two-run first inning to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. A double by Healy and a base hit by Blake put runners at second and third with nobody out. Worcester made a quick pitching change and Sharon greeted the new Lancer hurler with an RBI single up the middle with Blake also scoring on the play when the ball was mishandled in the outfield.

The Lancers rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. Freshman Emma Lanpher (Charlton, Mass.) got Worcester on the board with an RBI single, while Meeker knocked in a run with a squeeze bunt and Tocman capped off the inning with an RBI single.

The Bears came roaring back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Junior second baseman Kerrin McLaughlin (Haverhill, Mass.) singled with one out to start the rally. Graduate catcher Madison Synan (Quincy, Mass.) then launched a double to deep centerfield with McLaughlin coming around to score when the ball was mishandled on the warning track. Dana and sophomore left fielder Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to give Bridgewater a 5-3 lead.

Worcester State put runners on first and second with two outs in the seventh, but a hard line out to the third ended the game.

Reichert went the distance in the circle for the Bears to record her MASCAC-leading 13th win of the season. Reichert (13-4) allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits over seven innings with a pair of walks and six strikeouts.

Senior righthander Jen Thorburn (Groton, Mass.) was tagged with the loss in relief of senior starter Molly Glynn (Abington, Mass.) who faced only two batters. Thorburn (7-5) gave up three runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. She did not issue a walk and fanned five.

Bridgewater finished with 11 hits in the nightcap including seven doubles. Healy (2-4, 2B, R), Blake (2-3, 2B, R) and McLaughlin (2-3, 2B, R) paced the BSU offense with two hits apiece.

Lanpher went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, a run and an RBI to lead the way for Worcester State, while junior centerfielder Jacquie Schwalm (Billerica, Mass.) also contributed a pair of hits for the Lancers. Schwalm singled twice in three at bats and scored a run.

Following the games, the Bears held Senior Day festivities as Healy, Reichert, Sharon, Synan, Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) and Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) were honored.