Fitchburg State Sweeps Past Salem State, 4-0/4-3

Gemma and Borysewicz guide Falcons to key MASCAC sweep over Salem State

SALEM, Mass. (March 29, 2014) – The Fitchburg State softball team swept MASCAC rival Salem State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) softball action at Alumni Field this afternoon as the Falcons registered a 4-0 shutout victory in game one before edging the Vikings, 4-3 in the night cap to complete the sweep.

Fitchburg State 4, Salem State 0 (Game 1)

In game one, Fitchburg State opened the scoring in the first inning as senior Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass.) singled up the middle, stole second, advanced to third on a base hit by sophomore Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass.) and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Jessalynne Brown (Malden, Mass.) for the 1-0 lead.

The Falcons doubled their lead in the bottom of the fourth frame when newcomer Courtney Borysewicz (Quaker Hill, Conn.) tripled into the left centerfield gap with one out in the inning and crossed the plate on an infield single by sophomore Brianna Uga (Everett, Mass.) to make the score 2-0.

The Green and Gold upped its lead in the following inning as junior Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J.) singled through the left side and eventually scored on Borysewicz's second triple on the afternoon for the 3-0 margin.

Fitchburg State secured the victory in the sixth stanza when Uga singled up the middle, went to second on a fielding miscue before scoring on an RBI double off the bat of sophomore Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.), resulting in the 4-0 final.

In the circle, junior Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) put forth a strong effort for Fitchburg State, allowing just three hits over seven innings with six strikeouts to improve to 3-1 on the year, while freshman Lauren Haberern (Neffs, Penn.) took the loss for the Vikings, giving up one earned run on a pair of hits (3 K's) in two innings of work.

Borysewicz led the way for the Falcons offense, hitting a perfect 2-for-2 with a pair of triples, one run scored and one RBI, while Gemma added a 2-for-4 effort at the plate, including a double and one run batted in.

For Salem State, senior Paige Fleming (Methuen, Mass.) collected a double and a stolen base, while sophomore Cara Crowley (Lynn, Mass.) and senior Lauren DiCredico (Tewksbury, Mass.) collected one hit and one steal each.

Fitchburg State 4, Salem State 3 (Game 2)

In the nightcap, Cyrus ignited Fitchburg State's offense, batting 3-for-4 with an RBI and one run scored, while Gemma continued her hot hitting with a double, one run scored and an RBI for the Falcons.

Fleming led the Vikings game two offensive charge, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a trio of singles, two runs scored and an RBI, while senior Michelle Flower (Reading, Mass.) was also solid, registering a pair of stolen bases and a run scored.

On the mound, senior Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass.) earned the win for Fitchburg State, yielding three unearned runs on three hits with five K's, while DiCredico suffered the setback for the Vikings, giving up four runs (two earned) on ten hits.

The Falcons grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first inning as Cyrus singled through the left side of the infield and crossed the plate on a run scoring double to right center by Borysewicz for the 1-0 advantage.

Salem State answered in the top of the third frame when Flower reached on fielding error, stole second and third before scoring on single by Fleming, while Fleming scored on throwing miscue for the 2-1 lead.

Fitchburg State regained the lead in bottom half of the inning as freshman Corin Swarbrick (Lawrence, Mass.) reached on a throwing error, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI double to left center by Gemma, who then proceeded to score on throwing miscue to make the score 3-2. 

The Vikings knotted the score (3-3) in the top of the sixth frame when Flower reached on an error to open the inning, moved to second on bunt single and came around to score the tying run on a throwing miscue following a walk by freshman Megan Haley (Peabody, Mass.). 

The hosts would regain the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth inning as Forgues reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to second on base knock by Gemma and scored the game-winning run on an RBI single down the right field line, resulting in the 4-3 final.

Fitchburg State (8-4, 2-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Monday as it hosts the Engineers of WPI for a double header starting at 3 p.m. Salem State (4-12, 0-2 MASCAC) will visit Gordon College on Tuesday for a double header starting at 3:30 p.m.