Fitchburg State Doubles Up Mass-Maritime

Fitchburg State Doubles Up Mass-Maritime

Falcons notch 15-0 victory in game one; collect 8-2 win in game two

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 18, 2011) – The Fitchburg State softball team registered a MASCAC sweep this afternoon, topping Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 15-0 and 8-2 at Coolidge Park.

Fitchburg State 15, Mass-Maritime 0

Fitchburg State registered 15 runs on 13 hits in game one as the Falcons collected their fourth MASCAC victory of the season. Senior Nicole Monroe (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional) led the Falcons offensively, hitting 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI, while freshman Shannon Fitzgerald (Blackstone, Mass./Blackstone Regional) finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored.

Fitchburg State opened the contest with an early 6-0 lead after the first inning of play using a Monroe single and a pair of two run doubles by Lauren Donell (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) and Meghan Jenkins (Dedham, Mass./Dedham). The Falcons increased their lead to 11-0 in the third inning on RBI singles from Fitzgerald and Monroe before capping the scoring with four runs in the fourth frame.

Mass. Maritime's offense came to life in the fourth inning as the Buccaneers loaded the bases on three straight singles by Katie Maynard (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford), Holly McLaughlin (Belmont, Mass./Belmont), and Crystal Sherman (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hills) but Monroe worked out of the jam to preserve the shutout.

In the circle, Monroe earned the win for Fitchburg State, scattering six hits and five K's in the complete game effort. Freshman Jaclyn Labrecque (Sutton, Mass./Sutton) suffered the loss for Mass. Maritime.

Fitchburg State 8, Mass. Maritime 2

In the second contest of the day, Fitchburg State continued its offensive efforts, scoring eight times on nine hits to complete the MASCAC sweep.

At the plate, Monroe fueled the Falcons fire again with a 2-for-4 performance, including a homerun, one run scored and five RBI, while sophomores Alycia McGrail (N. Brookfield, Mass./N. Brookfield) chipped in with a 2-for-3 effort. Sophomore Jill Moses (Dedham, Mass./Dedham) rounded out the Falcons attack with a triple, run scored and one RBI.

For the Buccaneers, sophomore Sarah Click (Buzzards Bay, Mass./Bourne) was strong, connecting for a triple and one RBI, while McLaughlin added two hits, including a double.

After posting a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning , Fitchburg State exploded for three runs in the third to notch a 4-0 advantage. Moses lifted the Falcons with an RBI triple, while Monroe posted an RBI groundout.

In the fifth, the Falcons grabbed a 6-0 margin as Monroe connected for her second home run of the season, a two run shot to left center, but  Mass-Maritime cut its deficit to only four (6-2) with a two run, sixth inning. Click paced the Buccaneers rally with an RBI triple, while Labrecque scored following her base-hit up the middle.

Junior Allison Cousins (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) earned the win for Fitchburg State. Cousins allowed just two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out seven and walking one. Labrecque suffered the loss for the Buccaneers, yielding eight runs (four earned) on nine hits.

Fitchburg State (13-16, 5-3 MASCAC) returns to action tomorrow as it hosts New England College at 3 p.m. Mass. Maritime (1-15, 0-6 MASCAC) visits Framingham State tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.