Fitchburg State Battles MCLA To A Two Game Draw

McKinnon and Skoczylas lead Falcons with the long ball

ADAMS, Mass. (April 10, 2009) - The Fitchburg State softball team battled to a season split with MCLA this afternoon in MASCAC action. The Falcons registered a 12-6 victory in game one before falling 7-6 in the nightcap.

Fitchburg State 12, MCLA 6 

In game one, junior Leigh Trzcinski (Worcester, Mass./South) and sophomore Meghan Callahan (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) led the Fitchburg State charge, combining for a 4-for-7 performance with five runs scored and three walks. Trzcinski added to her team-leading average, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and one walk, while Callahan finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two base on balls. Newcomers Karen Skoczylas (Palmer, Mass./Palmer) and Ashley McKinnon (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) were also solid, connecting for one homerun each.

MCLA jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after two innings of play, but Fitchburg State responded with six runs over the third and fourth frames to take a 6-4 advantage. Skoczylas led the Falcons third inning charge with a three run homerun (2), while McKinnon belted a lead-off homerun (2) in the top of the fourth.

MCLA inched closer with a single run in the bottom half of the fourth, but Fitchburg State secured its fourth victory of the season, posting crooked numbers in the last two innings. The Falcons manufactured a pair of runs in the top of the sixth before plating four runs in the top of the seventh. Skoczylas ignited the Falcons seventh inning surge with an RBI base hit to drive in two, while freshman Amanda Quin (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex) and sophomore Lauren Donell (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) added a double and single respectively.

Freshman Allison Cousins (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) earned the victory for the Falcons (2-8), tossing a complete game with only four earned runs allowed. The rookie southpaw totaled a season-high six strikeouts while walking only one.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY TO FOLLOW

MCLA 7, Fitchburg State 6

In game two, Skoczylas and McKinnon continued their hot-hitting for Fitchburg State, registering two hits apiece, while Donell finished a perfect 2-for-2 with two walks and one run scored. Senior Alicia Rocco (Tewksbury, Mass./Tewksbury) was also strong, hitting 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI.

MCLA came out firing again in game two, posting a 2-0 lead early on, but Fitchburg State continued to chip away, taking a 4-2 lead in the top half of the fifth. Rocco started the Falcons comeback with an RBI single to center in the fourth inning, while Skoczylas notched an RBI base-hit in the Falcons three run fifth.

MCLA answered quickly with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings but Fitchburg State rallied back in the top of the seven with two runs to knot the game at 6-6. McKinnon and sophomore Kristen Love (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) belted RBI base-hits for the Falcons, but the comeback was short-lived as MCLA closed out the game with a single run in the bottom of the inning.

Sophomore Bethany Stone (Wells, Maine/Wells) suffered the loss for the Falcons (2-10), yielding seven earned runs on 14 hits over 6.2 innings of work.

Fitchburg State (4-17, 1-3 MASCAC) returns to action on Monday as it battles Salem State College at 2 p.m. MCLA (7-11, 2-2 MASCAC) will host Westfield State College on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY TO FOLLOW