Fitchburg State Closes Florida Trip With 1-1 Spilt

Falcons down Waynesburg, 7-1; falls to Lake Forest, 6-1 in game two

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 15, 2013) – The Fitchburg State softball team registered a 1-1 spilt on the final day of its 2013 Florida trip, defeating Waynesburg College, 7-1 in game one before falling to Lake Forest College, 6-1 in the second game.

Fitchburg State 7, Waynesburg 1 (Game 1)

In the opening contest of the day, the Falcons connected for seven runs on eleven hits en-route to the 7-1 win over Waynesburg College.

The Falcons offensive charge was led by sophomore Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central), who finished with one hit and a game high three RBI, while freshman Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass./Everett) added a pair of base knocks to go along with two runs scored and one RBI.

Juniors Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) and Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass./Saint Bernards) were also solid for Fitchburg State, combining for four hits with one RBI and one run scored, while sophomore infielder Haley Payne (Boonsboro, Md./Boonsboro) notched a pair of singles and the lone RBI for the Yellow Jackets. 

On the mound, junior Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass./Groton-Dunstable) went the distance for the Falcons, yielding just one run on six hits and six strikeouts, while rookie pitcher Katey Potopenko (Munhall, Penn./Steel Valley) suffered the loss for Waynesburg, giving up five runs on eight hits in four innings of work.

Lake Forest 6, Fitchburg State 1 (Game 2)

In the nightcap, Lake Forest broke open a close 3-1 affair in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring three times to clinch the game two victory by the score of 6-1.

Following a scoreless first frame, Fitchburg State opened the scoring in the top half of the second inning as newcomer Hailey Thibault (Swansea, Mass./Joseph Case) plated junior Marissa Binnall (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) with an RBI double to center for the 1-0 margin.

The Foresters registered a pair of runs in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by freshman Jessi Werner (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) and a passed ball to take a 2-1 lead before sophomore Kayla Borgra (Joilet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) delivered a run scoring double in the following inning to make the score 3-1 after five innings of play.

Lake Forest capped the scoring in the sixth, collecting three runs on RBI singles from sophomore Whitney Leiderman (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern), freshman Kaleigh Ambrose (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech) and junior Sam Ritsema (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) to secure its fourth victory of the season.

At the plate, Thibault led the Falcons offensively, collecting a pair of hits and one RBI, while Forgues and Whitelaw registered one hit apiece. For Lake Forest, Ritsema and Borgra both went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored, while Leiderman and Ambrose chipped in with two singles each.

In the circle, sophomore Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) suffered the setback, allowing two runs (1 earned) on six hits in 3.1 inning of work for the Falcons, while senior Molly Thomsen (Rumford, R.I./St. Mary's Academy ) went the distance for the Foresters, giving up one unearned run on four hits. 

Fitchburg State (3-7, 0-0 MASCAC) returns to action on Tuesday as it visits WPI for a double header starting at 3 p.m. (Games will be played at Fitchburg State with WPI as the home team)