Curry Sweeps Fitchburg State, 7-0/8-7

Colonels blanks Falcons in game one; rally from five runs down in the nightcap

FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 22, 2012) – The Fitchburg State softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games to Curry College this afternoon, falling 7-0 in game one and 8-7 in game two at Coolidge Park.

Curry 7, Fitchburg State 0 (Game 1)

Curry scored seven runs on ten hits in game one to shutout Fitchburg State an earn its seventh victory of the season.

Leading the offensive charge for the Colonels was senior Caitlin Luquet (Walnut Creek , Calif./Carondelet) who went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and one RBI. Aiding the offense was junior Valarie LaSala (Seaford, N.Y./Island Trees) who collected a trio of singles, while a run scored and one RBI.

For the Falcons, sophomore Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg), junior Lauren Weitz (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) and newcomer Victoria Brinkley (Durham, Conn./Guilford) each collected a hit for Fitchburg State.

Curry raced out to a quick 2-0 lead in the opening frame, using an RBI single by Luquet and a Falcon wild pitch to plate a pair of runs. An inning later, the Colonels took a 3-0 advantage on a Fitchburg State fielding miscue, before sealing the victory with four runs in the top half of the fourth.

    Freshman hurler Taylor Ahearn (Salem, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) picked up the win for Curry (5-1), pitching a complete game three hitter, while striking out eight and walking just one. Senior Allison Cousins (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) took the loss for the Falcons (1-5),  giving up seven runs (one earned) on seven hits with three K's and three walks.

Curry 8, Fitchburg 7 (Game 2)

In the nightcap, Curry was able to edge out Fitchburg State 8-7, rallying for six runs in the top of the seventh inning to overcome a 7-2 deficit.

Luquet and LaSala did most of the damage again for Curry combining for four hits, three runs scored and three RBI, while freshman Ariel LaRosa (Saugus, Mass./St. Mary's) chipped in with a pair of base hits, one RBI and a run scored.

Fitchburg State was paced by sophomore Shannon Fitzgerald (Blackstone, Mass./Blackstone Regional), who finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish with a run scored and a pair of RBI. Junior  Alycia McGrail (N. Brookfield, Mass./N. Brookfield) added to the mix with a pair of singles, and two steals, while Weitz and freshman Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) combined for four hits, four runs scored and an RBI.

The Colonels again snagged an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, using an RBI single from Luquet, but Fitchburg State gained its first lead of the day in the bottom half of the inning sparked by a two run single from Fitzgerald.

The Falcons extended their lead to 5-1 in the third on an RBI triple by Weitz, who later scored on a wild pitch to give Fitchburg State its four run advantage. The Green and Gold tacked on  a pair of runs in the fifth inning with a two run double from Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass./Saint Bernards) but Curry who eventually rally for six runs the top of the seventh to gain an 8-7 lead. LaRosa highlighted the Colonel rally with an RBI single, while LaSala capped the comeback with a two-run double.

Freshman Deanna McMahon (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) earned the win in relief for Curry (1-0) giving up just two hits in 2.2 innings of work. Freshman Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) suffered the set-back for the Falcons, yielding two unearned runs, on 0.2 IP.

Fitchburg State (1-11, 0-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as travel to Becker College for a double header starting at 1 p.m. Curry (8-4, 0-0 TCCC) travels to Eastern Nazarene for a twin billing starting at 1 p.m.