Fitchburg State Edges Becker, 3-2/3-1

Brinkley lifts Falcons to doubleheader sweep with first career homerun

FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 24, 2012) – The Fitchburg State softball team collected a season sweep over Becker College, downing the Hawks, 3-2 in game one before pulling through with a 3-1 victory in game two.

Fitchburg State 3, Becker 2 (Game 1)

In the opener, Fitchburg State rallied for two runs in the top of the fourth inning and held on to earn its second victory of the season with a 3-2 triumph.

Freshman Victoria Brinkley (Durham, Conn./Guilford) and junior Lauren Weitz (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) paced the Falcons game one offense with two hits apiece, while Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Academy), Amy Murphy (Dummerston, Vt./Brattleboro Union) and Alycia McGrail (N. Brookfield, Mass./N. Brookfield) each added a base-knock.

Senior Allison Cousins (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) earned the win in the circle for the Falcons, tossing a complete game, six-hitter. Cousins limited the Hawks to just two earned runs, while striking out a season-best seven and walking only three. Rhodes suffered the loss for Becker despite a complete game effort as she yielded three earned runs and struck out a pair.

The Falcons opened the game with an early lead, scoring a single run in the top of the second inning as Brinkley opened the frame with a lead-off double. The sophomore shortstop then moved to third on a single from Weitz before scoring on an RBI ground out from Emily Pomer (Groveland, Mass./Whittier Regional)

Becker responded with a pair of runs in the home half of the third to post a 2-1 lead, but Fitchburg State answered with its own two-run rally to cap the game's scoring in the fourth. Brinkley sparked the Falcon rally again this time with her first career long ball, while Murphy reached home after a Whitelaw single.  

Fitchburg State 3, Becker 1 (Game 2)

In game two, Fitchburg State connected for eight hits, while limiting Becker to only two as the Falcons posted their third win of the season to complete the non-conference sweep of the Hawks.

Freshman Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) earned her first win in a Falcon uniform with a complete game, two-hit effort. The rookie slinger was on fire, totaling five K's to only one walk, while allowing just one, unearned run. Gordon suffered the loss for the Hawks, yielding all three runs with a complete game effort.

Fitchburg State posted single runs in the third, fourth and seventh innings to seal its victory. Pomer connected for an RBI double in the third to plate a Falcon run, before posting an unearned run in the fourth. Freshman Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) capped the Falcons scoring on the day with an RBI double in the seventh.

Fitchburg State (3-11, 0-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as travel to Keene State College for a double header starting at 3 p.m. Becker (1-9) will host Green Mountain College tomorrow at 1 p.m.