Softball Splits MASCAC Twinbill with Worcester State

WORCESTER, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University softball team split a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader with Worcester State University on Friday evening at Raymond Field.

The host Lancers (22-16, 7-5 MASCAC) won the opener, 1-0, while the visiting Bears (11-26-1, 7-5 MASCAC) earned the split with a 2-0 victory in game two.

Game One: Worcester State 1, Bridgewater State 0

Emily Bartlett (Lowell, Mass.) tossed a one-hit shutout to lead the Lancers to the 1-0 win in game one. Bartlett (7-5) walked two and fanned 12 to pick up her seventh win of the season.

Bartlett took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and retired the first two batters of the frame before Madison Dana (Lynn, Mass.) broke up the no-hit bid with a single.

Worcester pushed across the only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth as the Lancers capitalized on a BSU miscue. Bella Gasbarro (Leominster, Mass.) reached on an error to lead off the inning, advance to second on a sacrifice bunt and score on an RBI single by Abigail Koziol (Lunenburg, Mass.).

McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) got the start in the circle for Bridgewater State but did not factor in the decision. Cusack scattered six hits and did not issue a walk in 4 2/3 innings of work. Seani Silva (Braintree, Mass.) suffered the loss for the Bears. Silva (1-3) gave up just the one unearned run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings with one walk and one strikeout.

Emma Lampher (Charlton, Mass.) went 2-for-3 to pace the Worcester offense, while Emma Lapoint (Westfield, Mass.) singled and walked in three trips to the plate.

Alicia Habib (Haverhill, Mass.) was the only other Bear to reach base in game one as she walked twice in two plate appearances.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 2, Worcester State 0

Madelyn Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) and Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) combined on the shutout to lead the Bears to the 2-0 victory in game two and a split of the twinbill. Klingel (4-12) scattered six hits over 6 1/3 innings to record her fourth win of the season. She walked one and fanned two. Hatch came on with a runner on third and one out in the bottom of the seventh and retired both batters she faced including a game-ending strikeout to notch her first save of the 2023 campaign.

Bridgewater got on the board in the top of the first inning. Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) led off the game with a base hit and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) singled to put runners at the corners, Amelia Blake (Raynham, Mass.) lofted a sacrifice fly to centerfield to plate Marcotte with the Bears' first run of the evening.

The Bears extended the lead to 2-0 in the second. Olivia Silva (Somerset, Mass.) doubled and moved to third when Molly Thibaudeau (Lincoln, R.I.) struck out but was safe at first on a wild pitch. Silva then raced home when Klingel reached on an error.

Jen Thorburn (Groton, Mass.) went the distance in the setback for the Lancers. Thorburn (8-6) allowed two runs on seven hits with a walk and 11 strikeouts. Marcotte registered multiple hits for the Bears as she singled twice and scored a run in four at bats.

Amanda Adamuska (Dudley, Mass.) and Jacqui Schwalm (Billerica, Mass.) each went 2-for-3 to pace the Worcester offense in game two.

Up Next: Both teams wrap up regular season play on Saturday, May 6th with MASCAC doubleheaders. The Bears entertain Westfield State University at 12:30, while the Lancers host Massachusetts Maritime Academy at noon.