Plymouth State Upends Fitchburg State

Falcons edged 7-4 in game one, fall 10-0 in the night cap

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 4, 2013) – The Fitchburg State softball team dropped a pair of games to the Panthers of Plymouth State University, falling 7-4 in game one and 10-0 in the nightcap in non-conference action this afternoon at Coolidge Park.

Plymouth State 7, Fitchburg State 4 (Game 1)

In game one, Plymouth State raced out to a commanding 7-0 lead after four innings of play before the holding off a late rally by the Falcons as the Panthers defeated Fitchburg State, 7-4.

Plymouth State registered single runs in the first three innings of play as junior Sam Hebert (Manchester, Memorial) collected a pair of run scoring singles and classmate Vanessa Przybylo (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) posted an RBI double to stake the Panthers to a 3-0 after three innings.

The visitors upped their lead (7-0) in the fourth stanza as junior Jackie Digman (Burlington, Mass./Burlington) scored on a Falcon miscue before senior Jenn Bove (Medford, Mass./Medford) connected on a run scoring single and junior Bekah Jackson (Nashua, N.H./Nashua North) blasted an RBI triple right center.

The Falcons cut the lead to four in the bottom of the fifth frame when junior Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass./Saint Bernards) opened the inning with single and scored of a base hit from classmate Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) before freshman Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) and sophomore Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) each delivered RBI base knocks to make the score 7-3.

Fitchburg State continued to battle, plating another run in the following inning (7-4) as freshman Hailey Thibault (Swansea, Mass./Joseph Case) and junior Emily Pomer (Groveland, Mass./Whittier Tech) started the inning off with back-to-back walks and sophomore Colleen Flaherty (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) drove in Thibault with a RBI single up the middle.

The rally would fall just short however as senior Ali Keith (Northfield, N.H./Winnisquam) would come close out the contest, retiring six of the eight batters she faced in relief to secure the 7-4 game one victory.

Plymouth State was led offensively by Jackson, who hit a perfect 4-dor-4 at the plate including a pair of doubles, three runs scored and one RBI, while Hebert posted two singles and a pair of RBI. For the Falcons, freshman Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass./Everett) paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, while Flaherty collected three hits with a double, one run scored and an RBI.

In the circle, sophomore Whitney Roberts (Chocorua, N.H./Kennett)) improved to 6-2 on the year for the Panthers, allowing four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts, while junior Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass./Groton Dunstable) suffered the setback for the Falcons, yielding seven runs on 13 hits with five K's in the complete game effort.

Plymouth State 10, Fitchburg State 0 (Game 2) (Five Innings)

In the nightcap, Plymouth State erupted for ten runs on 14 hits en-route to the 10-0 game two victory to extend its winning streak to ten games.

At the dish, freshman Julia Royer (Pawcatuck, Conn./Stonington) ignited the Panthers game two offense, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, one run scored and three RBI, while senior Calli DeGrace (Plymouth, N.H./Plymouth Regional) added two hits with a double, homerun, three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Cyrus and Forgues registered two hits apiece for Fitchburg State.

Following two scoreless innings, Plymouth State erupted for an eight run third inning as Bove opened the scoring with an RBI single followed by a two-run double off the bat of Degrace before Royer capped the inning with clutch two-out base loaded double to plate three runs to open up an 8-0 advantage after three inning of play.

The Panthers upped their lead (10-0) in the top of the fourth inning when Degrace connected for her third homerun of the season before adding their final run of the game on double play ball, resulting in the 10-0 game two victory.

On the mound, Przybylo earned the victory, allowing just six hits over four inning of work for the Panthers, while sophomore Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) took the loss for Fitchburg State, giving up ten runs on 14 hits, while striking out four over 5.0 IP.

Fitchburg State (6-10, 1-1 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as it travels Bridgewater State to take on the Bears for a double header starting at 12 p.m. Plymouth State (12-7, 2-0 LEC) will travel to RIC on Saturday for a double header starting at 1 p.m.