Fitchburg State Takes A Pair From Mitchell College, 1-0/6-4

Whiting and Uga lead Falcons to non-conference sweep over Mitchell College

NEW LONDON, Conn. (March 27, 2014) – The Fitchburg State softball team earned a sweep over the Mariners of Mitchell College in non-conference softball action at Alumni Field this afternoon with the Falcons earned a 1-0 victory in game one before completing the sweep with a 6-4 win in game two.

Fitchburg State 1, Mitchell 0 (Game 1)

In the first game, Fitchburg State received a stellar pitching performance from junior Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.), who pitched a complete game three hitter with ten strikeouts, while newcomer Brittany Fiederlein (Hampden, Conn.) was equally as impressive for the Mariners, yielding just one unearned run on seven hits and three K's in the setback.

Junior Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass.), paced the Falcons offensive, going 2-for-3 at the dish with a pair of singles, while senior Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass) finished with two hits and a stolen base.

For Mitchell, sophomore Rivkah Berkman (New London, Conn.), junior Lindsey Romagnino (Totowa, N.J.) and senior Chelsea Arpin (Killingly, Conn.) collected one hit apiece for the Mariners.

The Falcons threatened in the top of the fifth inning as freshman Corin Swarbrick (Lawrence, Mass.) drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a single through the left side by Fitzgerald, but Fiederlein retired the next three hitters to work out of the jam to preserve the 0-0 stalemate.

Fitchburg State would take the lead in the following stanza when sophomore Courtney Borysewicz (Quaker Hill, Conn.) walked, moved to second on hit batsmen and scored on a base hit off the bat of Swarbrick and a throwing miscue, resulting in the 1-0 final.

Fitchburg State 6, Mitchell 4 (Game 2)

In the nightcap, Fitchburg State posted six runs on 11 hits en-route to the 6-4 game two victory to compete the sweep.

At the plate, newcomer Jessalynne Brown (Malden, Mass.) sparked the Falcons attack, going perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored and pair of RBI, while sophomore Brianna Uga (Everett, Mass.) finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and a run scored. Junior Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J.) was also solid, collecting a pair of singles with one RBI and one run scored,

Freshman Samantha Ryan (Quaker Hill, Conn.) led the game two offensive efforts for the Mariners with a 2-for-3 performance at the dish including a pair of runs scored and one RBI, while Romgnino, sophomore Jenny Groman (New Britain, Conn.) and classmate Emily Morenzoni (Waterford, Conn.) aided the offense with one hit and one RBI each.

Following a scoreless first inning, the Falcons opened the scoring in the second frame as Brown singled up the middle, moved to second on a passed ball and crossed the plate on an RBI single to left center by Whitelaw for the 1-0 lead.

Mitchell took the lead in the fifth inning on a run scoring single to center field off the bat of Ryan to score Fiederlein, while Ryan scored on a base hit to left center by Groman for the 2-1 margin.

The Green and Gold responded in the top of the sixth as Brown singled to left field, advanced to second on hit from Whitelaw before Uga blasted her first collegiate home run to left field for the 4-2 advantage.

Fitchburg State upped its lead (6-2) in the following frame when Brown drove in both sophomore Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.) and freshman Kelsey LeBlanc (Attleboro, Mass.) with a single to right center.

The hosts answered in their last at bat as Ryan and Berkman reached on a base knock and an error and eventually scored on an RBI single to center by Romagnino and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Morenzino, resulting in the 6-4 final.

In the circle, senior hurler Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass.) picked up the win for Fitchburg State, allowing two runs on five hits and eight punch outs, while junior Tricia Tomaselli (Gilford, Conn.) took the loss for the Mariners, giving up six runs (five earned) on 11 hits. 

Fitchburg State (6-4, 0-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as it hosts the Vikings of Salem State University for a double header starting at 12 p.m. Mitchell (5-12, 1-1 NECC) will visit Lesley College on Saturday for a double header starting at 1 p.m.