Fitchburg State Drops a Pair vs. Curry, 5-4/7-0

Falcons edged 5-4 in ten innings in game one; fall 7-0 in the nightcap

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April, 1, 2014) – The Fitchburg State softball team suffered a pair of non-conference setbacks to Curry College this afternoon at Coolidge Park. The Falcons suffered a tough 5-4 setback in ten innings in game one before falling, 7-0 in the nightcap.

Curry 5, Fitchburg State 4 (Game 1) (10 Innings)

 In game one, Curry grabbed the lead in the second frame as freshman Meaghan Leary (Andover, Mass.) singled down the left field line, moved to second on a base hit from senior Kaitlyn Maderios (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) and scored on an RBI single by newcomer Sarah Stone (Littleton, Mass.) for the 1-0 margin.

The Falcons knotted the score (1-1) in the bottom half of the second inning when freshman Courtney Borysewicz (Quaker Hill, Conn.) reached on fielding error before junior Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J.) drove in Borysewicz with a double into the left center gap.

Fitchburg State took the lead in the fourth stanza as Whitelaw singled to lead off the inning, stole second and crossed the plate on a single to center off the bat of freshman Jessalynne Brown (Malden, Mass.), who eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to center by junior Sabrina Schwartz (Ayer, Mass.) for the 3-1 advantage.

The visitors retied the game in the top of the sixth when junior Abigail Macomber (Milton, Mass.) singled with one out, advanced to second on a fielder's choice and came around to score on a double from senior Megan Flaherty (Medway, Mass.), while Flaherty scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3-3.

With the score tied 4-4 in the tenth, Curry was able to push across the winning run as Leary was placed on second base due to the international tie breaker rule, moved to third on a but single by Maderios and scored on a sacrifice fly by Macomber, resulting in the 5-4 final.

Offensively for the Falcons,  Brown went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and one run scored, while Whitelaw was also solid, collecting a pair of hits, including a double, one run scored and an RBI. Flaherty paced the game one offense for Curry, hitting 2-for-5 with double, one run and one RBI, while Mederios and Macomber combined for four hits, one run scored and a pair an RBI.

In the circle, junior Taylor Ahearn (Salem, Mass.) picked up the win for the Colonels, allowing four runs (two earned) on 11 hits with 11 K's in the complete game effort, while junior Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) suffer the setback, giving up just two unearned runs on two hits and six strikeouts in four innings of relief for Fitchburg State.

Curry 7, Fitchburg State 0 (Game 2)

In the nightcap, Curry received a solid outing from freshman McKenna Barlow (Middleton, R.I.), who pitched the complete game four-hitter with three punch outs en-route to her first collegiate victory, while senior Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass.) took the loss for the Falcons, yielding five runs (3 earned) on seven hits and seven K's.

The Colonels opened the scoring in the top of the third as Flaherty singled up the middle, advanced over to second on throwing miscue and scored the game's first run on an RBI base knock to center field by junior Ariel LaRosa (Saugus, Mass.) for the 1-0 lead.

Curry doubled their lead (2-0) in the top of the fifth stanza when Stone laced a double through the right side of the infield and proceed to move to third and score on a two base throwing miscue.

Fitchburg State threatened in the bottom half of the inning as junior Marissa Binnall (Fitchburg, Mass.) singled and senior Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass.) drew a two out walk before sophomore Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.) single to center but Colonels center fielder Mikayla Korona (Bellingham, Mass.) came up firing, delivering a strike to the plate to end the Falcons rally.

Curry secure the game two victory in the following frame (5-0) when Stone blasted a  two-run double to deep right field to plated both senior Heather Carrier (Scarborough, Me.) and Fedro, who had walked earlier in the inning en-route to the 7-0 final.

Gemma led the way for Fitchburg State's game two offense, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with a trio of singles, while Binnall collected the Falcons other hit in the contest. For the Colonels, Flaherty continued her hot hitting, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Stone added to the mix with a pair of doubles, two runs batted in and a pair of runs scored.

Fitchburg State (8-6, 2-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it hosts the Panthers of Plymouth State University for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Curry (9-7, 0-0 TCCC) will host Gordon College tomorrow for a twin billing starting at 3 p.m.