Fitchburg State Swept By Worcester State

Falcons edged 3-0 in game one; drop 8-1 decision in nightcap

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University softball team was in action this afternoon, hosting Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival Worcester State University at Coolidge Park.

The Lancers came atop of a pitching duel in the first contest, 3-0, before completing the sweep with a 15-hit outburst, en-route to an 8-1 victory in the night cap.

Worcester State 3, Fitchburg State 0 (Game 1) 

With the scored knotted at 0-0 in the sixth junior Kaci Panarelli connected a two-out, two-run single before sophomore Haley Scola followed with run scoring single to lift Worcester State to a 3-0 game one win.

Fitchburg State hurler Galen Kerr went seven strong for the Green & Gold, allowing three runs (0 earned) on five hits, striking out five and walking a pair. With the loss, her record drops to 6-8 on the year. On the other end, Worcester State senior Dakota Smith-Porter picked up the win for the Lancers after going the distance, giving up just four hits with two K's.

Kerr opened the game with back-to-back one-two-three frames in the first and second, marking the start of a pitcher duel as Smith-Porter was equally as effective for Worcester State.

Neither offense could respond to the arms on the mound, and for Kerr, she carried a no-hitter to the fourth inning when Kristen Huston reached on a bunt single before being stranded on second base to end the frame, preserving the scoreless tie.

In the top of the sixth, the f Worcester State was finally able to break through. It started as Huston reached for the second consecutive time via bunt single before stealing second base. Following a walk and an error, the bases were loaded with two-outs when Panereilla laced a single into right field, scoring Huston and Sydney Despres, while Scola added an RBI single that plated senior Rachel Couto for the 3-0 advantage.

Fitchburg State put runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to capitalize as Smith-Porter, shut the door in the seventh, scattering two hits in the inning to preserve the 3-0 final.

Fitchburg State freshman outfielder McKenzie Lambert led paced the Falcons offensively picking up her third multi-hit game of the year, while senior Katie Gildea and sophomore Kaylee Sylvestre added one hit each.

For Worcester State, Huston picked up a pair of hits with one run scored, while Panarelli finished with one hits and a pair of RBI.

Worcester State 8, Fitchburg State 1 (Game 2)

Worcester State saw a burst of offense in game two, scoring eight runs on seven extra base hits, en-route to an 8-1 game two win to complete the sweep.  

With the score 4-0 in the top of the fifth, the Lancers padded their lead, scoring two on consecutive doubles from Corrie Derosier and Courtney Salisbury that upped Worcester State's lead to 6-0.

Fitchburg State got a run across in the bottom of the fifth as Michelle LeBlanc started the frame with a double to centerfield, moving to third base on a ground out from Nicole Sylvester before sophomore Hayley McCarthy got the team going, putting a single between the third baseman and shortstop to bring home Leblanc (6-1).

The Lancers responded in the following frame when Panarelli singled home Despres, while Scola doubled to center to bring home Monica Ferrazzani to extend its lead to 8-1.

The Green and Gold threatened in the bottom half of the seventh as Emily Comtois started the inning with a double into right centerfield gap, followed by a pair of walks to Leblanc and McCarthy to load the bases. But Frisch induced a game-ending double play, resulting in the 8-1 game to final to secure the sweep for the Lancers.

Fitchburg State was paced by Comtois and LeBlanc, who combined for two hits, including two doubles and a run scored, while McCarthy added an RBI base hit For the Lancers, Salisbury hit 4-for-5 with a double, homerun, two runs scored and a pair of RBI, while Panarelli finished 2-for-4 with two RBI.

In the circle, Sylvestre took the loss for the Falcons, giving up eight runs on 15 hits with one K in seven innings of work, while Lancer sophomore Rachel Frisch earned the win, allowing one run on just four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

The Falcons (11-16, 6-6 MASCAC) travel to Salem State University this Saturday for their final regular season games of the 2017 campaign, starting at 12:00 P.M. For the Lancers (12-16, 7-5 MASCAC) six games remain on their schedule with a non-conference affair against Clark University coming on tomorrow at 2:00 P.M.

Recap courtesy of Fitchburg State student journalist Kyle Prodhomme