Fitchburg State Takes Pair From Mitchell College

Flaherty leads Falcons to pair of 7-1 victories over Mitchell College

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 3, 2013) – The Fitchburg State softball team registered a pair of 7-1 victories over the visiting Mariners of Mitchell College in non-conference softball action at Coolidge Park this afternoon.

Fitchburg State 7, Mitchell 1 (Game 1)

In the first game, the Fitchburg State offense was sparked by sophomore Colleen Flaherty (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton), who finished a perfect 3-for-3 on the day with one run scored and a pair of RBI, while junior Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) and newcomer Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) registered two hits and one RBI each.

For the Mariner, freshman Shannon O'Neil (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee) paced the offense, collecting a pair of singles, while sophomore Dylan Riccardi (Elmont, N.Y./Sewanhaka) went 1-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.  

The Falcons opened the scoring in the first inning as Forgues led off the frame with a single to left field, moved to second on a groundout before advancing to third on a base hit from freshman Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass./Everett) and scored via a wild pitch for the 1-0 advantage.

Fitchburg State doubled its lead (2-0) in the following inning junior Allison Page (Wakefield, Mass./Wakefield) reached on a fielding error and eventually scored on a run scoring base knock off the bat of Flaherty.

The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth inning as the Green and Gold used a five run sixth inning to secure its fifth victory on the season. Junior Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass./Saint Bernards) opened the scoring with an RBI ground before Flaherty, Forgues and Gemma all connected for RBI base hits to make the score 7-0 after six innings of play.

Mitchell broke its scoring silence in the top of the seventh frame as Riccardi laced a two out single to right field to score freshman Alexandra Blanchette (Taftville, Conn./Norwich Free Academy), who had drawn a walk two batters earlier, resulting in the 7-1 final.

On the mound, sophomore Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) picked up the win for the Falcons, allowing just one earned run on five hits with eight K's, while counterpart Tricia Tomaselli (Guilford, Conn./Guilford) suffered the setback for Mitchell, yielding seven runs (one earned) on nine hits, while striking out three in the complete game effort.

Fitchburg State 7, Mitchell 1 (Game 2)

In the nightcap, Fitchburg State posted seven runs on thirteen hits en-route to the 7-1 game two victory to compete the sweep.

At the plate, Flaherty continued her hot hitting, going 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBI, while Fitzgerald went a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, one run scored and an RBI. Sophomore Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) was also solid, collecting a pair of single with one RBI and a trio of runs score, while Cyrus and classmate Hailey Thibault (Swansea, Mass./Joseph Case) combined for four hits and two runs scored.

Junior Ariel Hallsey (Fall River, Mass./Durfee) led the game offensive efforts for the Mariners with a 1-for-2 performance at the dish including a run scored, while Blanchette, freshmen Bridget Thomson (Mystic, Conn./Fitch) and Jenny Groman (New Britain, Conn./Sports & Medical Sciences Academy) added one hit apiece.

Following a scoreless first inning, Mitchell opened the scoring in the second stanza as Hallsey was hit by pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored off a throwing error for the 1-0 lead. Fitchburg State responded in their half of the inning on run scoring single by Page and Flaherty to take a 2-1 lead after two innings of play.

The hosts upped its lead (7-1), using a four run fifth inning, highlighted by an RBI single by Fitzgerald and a two-run triple to right center from Flaherty before capping its scoring in the following inning as Binnall singled down the left field line to score Whitelaw.

In the circle, junior hurler Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass./Groton-Dunstable) improved to 4-3 on the year for Fitchburg State, allowing one unearned run on four hits and seven strikeout, while freshman Kaisea Caramante (Old Lyme, Conn./Old Lyme-Old Lyme) took the loss for the Mariners, giving up seven runs (four earned) on 13 hits.

Fitchburg State (6-8, 1-1 MASCAC) returns to action tomorrow as it hosts Plymouth State University for a double header starting at 3 p.m. Mitchell (4-14, 1-3 NECC) will host Elms College on Saturday for a double header starting at 12 p.m.