Falcons Fall to Rams in MASCAC Semifinal

Bridgewater, Mass. – The #4 seed Fitchburg State University softball team fell to #2 Framingham State University 4-2 in 2019 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Softball Tournament action on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 2, Framingham State 4
Records: Fitchburg State (26-16) | Framingham State (22-19)

How It Happened

The Rams opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Back-to-back singles by sophomore Camille Desrochers (Westford, Mass.) and junior Mycala Moody (North Attleboro, Mass.) followed by a ground out put runners on second and third with one away. After a strikeout, Desrochers raced home on a wild pitch to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.

The Falcons tied it at 1-1 with an unearned run in the top of the second. Junior Mikayla Harnois (Attleboro, Mass.) walked to lead off the frame and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. One out later, freshman Courtney Luker (North Reading, Mass.) lined a single into left field that was mishandled in the outfield allowing Harnois to come across with the tying run.

With the game still deadlocked in the top of the sixth, freshman Audrey Johnson (Fitchburg, Mass.) launched a solo home run over the left field fence with two outs in the frame to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.

Framingham took advantage of a dropped fly ball to plate three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Moody reached on the error with one out and Caughey followed with a base hit to put runners at the corners. Three consecutive RBI singles by senior Lauren Salisbury (Cranston, R.I.) and freshmen Farrah Adam (West Springfield, Mass.) and Laela Pepin (Acushnet, Mass.) gave the Rams a 4-2 win.

Inside the Numbers

• Senior Kelsi Gunarathne (North Providence, R.I.) picked up the win in the complete game effort for the Rams. Gunarathne (13-12) gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
• Sophomore Taylor Colvin (Lancaster, Mass.) suffered the loss in the circle for Falcons as he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits. Colvin (6-5) did not issue a walk and fanned three.
• Freshman Courtney Luker (North Reading, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with two singles to lead the Falcons.
•  Freshman Audrey Johnson (Fitchburg, Mass.) stroked her third home run of the season in the sixth inning.

 Up Next

 The Falcons conclude the 2019 season with a 26-16 record. With 26 victories the team tied the 2001-01 squad for most wins in a season. The Rams will face the Bears of Bridgewater State at 1:30 pm for the MASCAC title