Bridgewater State Slips Past Fitchburg State

Falcons fall 5-4 in game one, downed 1-0 in nine innings in game two

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (April, 6, 2013) – The Fitchburg State softball team suffered a pair of tough one run setbacks to conference rival Bridgewater State this afternoon, The Falcons fell 5-4 in the opening contest before dropping game two by the score of 1-0 in nine innings in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action.

Bridgewater State 5, Fitchburg State 4 (Game 1)

In game one, Bridgewater State rallied for four runs in the fifth inning en-route to defeating Fitchburg State, 5-4 en-route to their ninth win on the year.

 Fitchburg State opened the scoring in the first innings as junior Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) led off with a double to left center and scoring on a Bridgewater State miscue. Before newcomer Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) and sophomore Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) crossed the plate on a sacrifice bunt and a bases loaded walk for the 3-0 advantage.

Bridgewater State rallied in the fifth inning, scoring four times in the frame to take a 4-3 lead, The Bears were able to capitalize on four Falcon errors and pair of hits as freshman Meagan Pacheco (Somerset, Mass./Somerset-Berkley Regional) delivered an RBI single before a pair of runs scored via a fielding error.

The hosts added an insurance run in the following inning when junior Jill Welch (Hubbardston, Mass./Quabbin Regional) singled to open the inning, stole second, advanced to third on sacrifice bunt and scored on a run scoring hits by Pacheco.

The Falcons battled back in the final inning as Gemma led off with a double before Whitelaw connected on a one out single. Gemma eventually scored on a ground out to second base off the bat of Binnall but Bears pitcher Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) retired the final hitter to preserve the 5-4 victory.

Forgues led the Falcons offensive efforts, finishing 3-for-4 with one run scored, while freshman Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass./Everett) posted a pair of hits and Binnall added two RBI on in game one. For the Bears, Pacheco hit a perfect 3-for-3 including one run scored and a pair of RBI, while sophomore Brianna Strecker (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) chipped in with two singles and a run scored.

On the mound, sophomore Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) pitched well for Fitchburg State, allowing just one run on seven hits and a season-best 11 K's, while Dunn picked ip the win for the Bears, allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts.

Bridgewater State 1, Fitchburg State 0 (Game 2) (Nine Innings)

In the nightcap, Bridgewater State junior Amber White (Middleboro, Mass./Middleboro) outdueled Falcon starter Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass./Groton-Dunstable) as the Bears edged the Fitchburg State, 1-0 in nine innings to complete the sweep.

In the circle, White improved to 6-4 on the season, giving up just four hits with nine K's for Bridgewater State, while Alcott suffered the loss, yielding just one unearned run on eight hits and eight strikeouts for the Falcons.

The Bears proceeded to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning with Welch placed on second base via the international tiebreaker rule, a single by senior Melissa Harmon (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) and a fielder's choice, before Pacheco recorded the game-winning single to centerfield resulting in the 1-0 final.

Bridgewater State threatened in the bottom of the second inning as senior Courtney Gregoire (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) opened the frame with a double to center field and Harmon singled to put runners on second and third with one out. But Alcott worked out of jam to keep the game scoreless.

The Bears would load the bases in the fourth frame on a double by Welch, a fielder's choice and an infield single from Pacheco, but Alcott induced a pair of fly outs to preserve the 0-0 stalemate after four innings of play.

At the dish, Pacheco and Harmon paced the Bridgewater State game two offense, combining for four hits and an RBI, while sophomore Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) chipped in with a pair of singles. For Fitchburg State, sophomore Colleen Flaherty (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) collected two hits, while Whitelaw and Cyrus added one hit each.

Fitchburg State (6-12, 1-3 MASCAC) returns to action on Tuesday as it hosts Lions of Eastern Nazarene College for a double header starting at 3 p.m. Bridgewater State (10-10, 3-1 MASCAC) will host Nichols College on Tuesday for a double header starting at 3 p.m.