Keene State Takes Pair From Fitchburg State

Falcons edged 7-4 in game one; suffer five inning, 11-2 loss in game two

KEENE, N.H. (April 22, 2010) - The Fitchburg State softball team suffered a pair of losses as it battled Keene State College this afternoon. The Falcons endured a 7-4 setback in game one before falling 11-2 in the nightcap.

Keene State 7, Fitchburg State 4

In game one, Keene State rifled off ten hits, paced by senior Stephanie Lavado (Wallingford, Conn./Wallingford), who finished the contest 3-for-3 with one homerun and three RBI. Sophomore Laura Chandler (Wakefield, Mass./Wakefield) was also strong, going went 2-for-4 at the plate, while junior Katie Bradford (Lebanon, N.H.) hit 1-for-2 with one run scored and two RBI.

Sophomore Ashley McKinnon (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) had three hits (2 2B’s) and one RBI to lead the Fitchburg State offense, while senior Leigh Trzcinski (Worcester, Mass./South) added a 2-for-4 performance and three RBI.

In the opener, Keene State put four runs on the board in the first inning, using Lavado's two-run homerun and a RBI double from freshman Nicole Dupuis (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg). The Falcon mustered a comeback, cutting the Owls lead to 4-2 as they touched for a pair of runs in the top of the second on Trzcinski’s two-run single up.

In the fourth, Lavado and Trzcinski traded RBI singles to make it 5-3, but Keene State had the final answer, posting two runs in the fifth on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly. The Falcons notched a run in the top of the seventh on McKinnon’s RBI double, but sophomore Courtney Savoie (Stratham, N.H./Exeter) held off Fitchburg State’s charge for her seventh victory of the season.

Savoie limited Fitchburg State to only three runs and six hits in the contest as she fanned five batters and only walked two. Sophomore Allison Cousins (Leominster, Mass.) took the loss for Fitchburg State in game one, yielding seven runs (three earned) and 11 hits over six innings of work.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Keene State 11, Fitchburg State 2 (Five Innings)

In the nightcap, Keene State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and continued to manufacture runs as the Owls halted the contest in the fifth inning due to the eight-run rule. The four-run first inning was sparked by Lavado's three-run home run, while Chandler added a single to left-center.

Freshman Danielle Correia (West Bridgewater, Mass./West Bridgewater) had a solo home run in the second and McKinnon added an RBI double in the third to cut Keene State’s lead to 4-2, but Lavado's two-run home run in the fourth made it 6-2 contest.

The Owls broke the game open with a five run fourth inning that included run scoring hits by Haley and Laura Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.), while Dupuis and Bradford posted back-to-back scoring rips.

Keene State sophomore Emily Albin (Bethel, Conn./Bethel) improved to 4-1 on the season, giving up two runs and five hits, while striking out a pair. Senior Bethany Stone (Wells, Maine/Wells) started in the circle for the Falcons, suffering the loss with three innings pitched.

Fitchburg State (7-21, 1-7 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as it travels to Mass-Maritime at 12 p.m. Keene State (17-10-1, 4-2 LEC) will visit UMass Boston on Saturday at noon.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY