Fitchburg State Battles With Bridgewater State

Falcons notch 5-4 victory in game one; edged 4-2 in game two

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (April 16, 2011) – The Fitchburg State softball team registered its third MASCAC split, battling Bridgewater State University this afternoon. The Falcons notched a 5-4 victory over eight innings in game one before falling 4-2 in the nightcap. 

Fitchburg State 5, Bridgewater State 4 (8 innings)

In the opener, Fitchburg State rallied for two runs in the top of the eighth inning and held off a late Bridgewater State rally to earn its third victory of the season. Sophomore Jill Moses (Dedham, Mass./Dedham) provided the big spark for the Falcons, belting a two-run homerun in the top of the eighth which proved to be the difference maker.

Moses finished the contest 2-for-5 with one run scored and two RBI, while senior Karen Skoczylas (Palmer, Mass./Palmer) added a pair of hits and one RBI. Freshman Shannon Fitzgerald (Blackstone, Mass./Blackstone Regional) was also solid, hitting 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Trailing 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, Bridgewater State took advantage of two Falcon errors to plate a pair of runs and force extra frames. In the extra frame, Fitchburg State responded first as Fitzgerald leadoff the inning with a single and later scored on Moses' two-run bomb. The Bears threatened in the bottom half of the stanza with a Sanko homerun, but that's as close as the Bears would come as freshman Jessica Drago (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) closed the door.

Drago earned the victory in relief for the Falcons, tossing the final 1.2 innings with only one hit and one run allowed. Senior Nicole Monroe (Pepperell, Mass./North Middlesex) worked the first 6.1 innings for Fitchburg State, yielding three runs (one earned) on three hits before giving way to Drago in the seventh.

Bridgewater State 4, Fitchburg State 2

In game two, Fitchburg State came out gunning, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, but Bridgewater State answered with four runs in the second to cap the game's scoring and post a 4-2 MASCAC win.

Skoczylas and sophomore Kelly Bourgea (Malden, Mass./Malden) lifted the Fitchburg State first inning offensive efforts with back-to-back singles to open the game, but Bridgewater State sophomore Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Vt./Bacon Academy) kept the Falcons off the board the rest of the contest to earn the victory.

Freshman Nancy Henry (Forestdale, Mass./Sandwich) suffered the loss for the Falcons, surrendering four runs and five hits over the first two innings. Junior Allison Cousin (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) was strong in relief for Fitchburg State, holding Bridgewater scoreless with only three hits allowed over 4.0 IP.

At the plate, Skoczylas finished a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, three triples and one run scored, while Bourgea and Moses added one hit apiece.

Fitchburg State (11-16, 3-3 MASCAC) returns to action Monday as it hosts Mass-Maritime Academy at 12 p.m. Bridgewater State (11-15, 3-3 MASCAC) will visit MCLA on Monday at 1 p.m.