Softball Wins Two out of Three on Thursday at Fastpitch Dreams Classic

LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – The Bridgewater State University softball team went 2-1 in three games on Thursday at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Little River and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The Bears (4-3) posted an 8-6 win over Penn State Abington, dropped a 10-7 decision to Immaculata University, and capped off the day with a 9-1 win in six innings against Penn State Beaver.

Bridgewater State 8, Penn State-Abington 6

The Bears posted an 8-6 win over Penn State Abington.

Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.), making her first start of the season, picked up her first win in a BSU uniform. Mendonca (1-0) allowed six runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. She also hit a batter.

Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) went 2-for-4 and belted her second home run of the season to pace the BSU offense.

The Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a double steal and an RBI triple by Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.).

Penn State answered with three runs in the home half of the first as the Nittany Lions capitalized on a key dropped pop up.

Becker homered over the left field fence in the top of the second to knot the score at 3-3.

A BSU throwing error led to three more unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning as Penn State pulled ahead, 6-3.

Bridgewater rallied for five runs in the fourth inning to jump out in front, 8-6. Mendonca helped out her own cause with an RBI single while Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) connected for a two-run single and Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.) capped off the scoring with an RBI double.

Jolly (2-4, SB, R, 2RBI) and Schaefer (2-4, 2B, SB, R, RBI) also registered multiple hits for the Bears. Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) reached safely twice in four plate appearances with a single and a walk. She also scored a run.

Gretchen Yanss was saddled with the loss for the Nittany Lions in the complete game effort. Yanss (1-2) gave up eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts.

Drew Liss went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI to highlight the Penn State offense.

Immaculate 10, Bridgewater State 7

The Bears led 6-1 heading into the bottom of the second inning but surrendered nine runs over the next three innings.

Bridgewater capitalized on the three errors in the top of the first inning to push across four unearned runs. Becker connected for an RBI double in the frame.

A two-run single by Schaefer in the second made it a 6-1 game.

The Might Macs scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second and took advantage of a pair of BSU errors in a three-run third to cut the deficit to 6-5.

Immaculata then tallied five runs on five hits in the fourth to take a 10-6 lead. In the decisive fifth inning, Kristen Carter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded while Bryele Anthony knocked in a run with a base hit and Naila Valdez capped off the frame with a two-run single.

After scoring six runs over the first two innings, the Bears managed just one over the final five.

The two teams combined for eight errors on the day, seven over the first three innings.

Lily Gioiosa (Dartmouth, Mass.) went 3-for-4 to pace the Bridgewater's ten hit attack. Schaefer (2-4, R, 2RBI) and Becker (2-3, 2B, RBI) also recorded multiple hits for the Bears.

Anthony finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and an RBI to lead the way for the Mighty Macs. Peyton McGowan also notched a pair of hits in four at bats.

Courtney Gable picked up the win in the circle for Immaculata. Gable (1-1) allowed seven runs, only three of which were earned, on ten hits over seven innings with two walks and a strikeout.

McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) went the first three innings for the Bears but did not factor in the decision. Cusack gave up five runs (two earned) on four hits with five walks and a strikeout. Tatiana Burcy (Hyde Park, Mass.) worked the final three innings to pick up the loss. Burcy (1-1) allowed five runs on five hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Bridgewater State 9, Penn State Beaver 1 (6 Inn.)

Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.) tossed three-hit ball over six solid innings to lead the Bears to a 9-1 win over Penn State Beaver. The game went just six innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

Hargreaves (1-0) allowed just one run on three hits over six full innings with a walk and six strikeouts.

The Bears banged out 13 hits on the evening led by a three-hit performance by Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.). Ansell went 3-for-4 with a double two runs and an RBI.

Marcotte (2-4, SB, 2R), Jolly (2-3, SB, 2R), Schaeffer (2-3, 2B, SF, SB, R, 3RBI) and Lynch (2-3, SB, R, RBI) also registered multiple hits for Bridgewater State. Becker smacked an RBI triple and walked twice in three plate appearances.

Schaeffer cracked an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning to open the scoring. After the Nittany Lions tied it in the third inning on a wild pitch, the Bears pushed across a pair of runs in the home half of the third to take the lead for good. Schaeffer drove in a run with a sacrifice fly while Jolly stole third base and raced home on a throwing error by the catcher.

Bridgewater tacked on three runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 6-3. Schaeffer connected on an RBI single, Lynch scored on the back end of double steal, and Becker raked an RBI triple.

The Bears ended the game with three runs in the sixth. Katie Tobin (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) singled to lead off the frame and was replaced on the base baths by Mendonca. Mendonca advanced to third base on Marcotte's bunt single and scored on a wild pitch. Ansell knocked in Marcotte with an RBI single and Jolly followed with a base hit. After a ground out put runners at second and third, Lynch ended the game with a walk-off RBI single.

The Bears trip to Myrtle Beach continues on Friday. Bridgewater takes on Martin Luther College tomorrow at 9:00 AM and Penn College at 3:00 PM.

Notes: Schaefer and Marcotte, who each had at least one hit in each games, extended their respective hitting streaks to seven games.