Falcons Earn Sweep Over Amcats, 13-4/9-0

Luker register first collegiate hit in non-conference sweep

Northboro, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University softball team swept a double header with the Amcats of Anna Maria College, 13-4 and 9-0 in non-conference action this afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 13, Anna Maria 4 (Five innings) (Gm 1)

Score: Fitchburg State 9, Anna Maria 0 (Five innings) (Gm 2)

Records: Fitchburg State (8-4) | Anna Maria (0-6)

How It Happened

Game one

Fitchburg State took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first as senior Nicole Sylvester (Everett, Mass.) doubled home classmate Melissa DiPhilippo (Norfolk, Mass.), while junior McKenzie Lambert (East Longmeadow, Mass.) added an RBI groundout and junior Mikayla Harnois (Attleboro, Mass.) added an RBI double of her out that plated Sylvester.

Anna Maria cut the deficit to 3-2 in their half of the first with senior Sabrina Carreira (West Hartford, Conn.) and sophomore Allison Sholds (Methuen, Mass.) collecting run scoring singles.

The Falcons upped their margin (7-2) in the third inning when freshman Olivia Pietersen (Norton, Mass.) laced an RBI ground-rule double before newcomer Audrey Johnson (Fitchburg, Mass.) followed with a run scoring single.

Fitchburg State secured the game one victory in the following frame as Lambert and Harnios connected on back-to-back RBI doubles, while senior Michelle LeBlanc (Ashburnham, Mass.) brought in Harnios with a single to left center, resulting in the 13-4 final.

Game Two

Fitchburg State grabbed a 2-0 edge in the first frame as junior Emma Campbell (Goffstown, N.H.) singled home Diphilippo before Lambert brought in Pietersen with an RBI triple to right field.

The Green and Gold extended their lead (5-0) in the top half of the third when Lambert stole home, while senior Michaela Keenan (Boston, Mass.) notched an RBI single up the middle that scored freshman Morgan Cormier (Leominster, Mass.)

Fitchburg State capped the scoring in the fifth inning as senior Samantha Woodman (Essex, Mass.) drove in Cormier with an infield single before Campbell ripped a two-run single up the middle to bring home Woodman and freshman Courtney Luker (North Reading, Mass.), resulting in the 9-0, game-two final.

Inside the Numbers

• 16th meeting between the two teams in softball with the Falcons 11-5 vs the Amcats
• Pietersen led the way for the Falcons in game one, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs scored and three RBI
• Michelle Cilley (Dracut, Mass.) went 3-for-3 with a double and one run scored for the Amcats
• Harnois picked up the game one win for Fitchburg State, allowing four runs on eight hits with five K's in 3.2 innings of work
• Mackenzie Morin (North Smithfield, R.I.) took the loss for Anna Maria in the opener, giving up ten earned runs on 16 hits with one strikeout in the complete game effort
• Campbell finished 2-for-4 with three RBI for Fitchburg State in game two, while also picking up her third win on the season after pitching a complete game, one hit shutout with six K's
• Ashley Garcia (Cornwall, N.Y.) collected the lone hits for Anna Maria in the nightcap
• Victoria Falco (Marlborough, Mass.) suffered the game two setback for the Amcats, allowing nine runs on 13 hits with two K's in five innings of work

Up Next

Falcons will host the Colonels of Curry College on Sunday for a non-conference twin bill, starting at 12:00 PM. Amcats will visit Clark University on Tuesday for a non-conference double-header at 3:00 PM.