Falcons Swept By Golden Bears In Non-Conference Twin Bill

Gauvin notches first collegiate homerun for Green and Gold 

Springfield, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games to the Golden Bears of Western New England this afternoon from the Golden Bears Softball Park.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 1, Western New England 3 (Game One)

Score: Fitchburg State 0, Western New England 15 (Game Two)

Records: Fitchburg State (5-8) I Western New England (7-6)

How It Happened

Game One

Fitchburg State grabbed a 1-0 edge in the top of the second as freshman Julia Gauvin (Granby, Mass.) connected on her first collegiate homerun, launching a solo shot over the centerfield fence.

Western New England took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when junior Kalley Carrano (West Haven, Conn.) and senior Dina DiBlasio (Norwalk, Conn.) registered back-to-back hits before junior Brianna Floyd (Cheshire, Conn.) laced a two run double, while sophomore Taylor Keegan (Bristol, Conn.) followed with an RBI double to make the score 3-1.

The Falcons threatened in the top of the seventh with freshman Isabella Sousa (Charlton, Mass.), senior Audrey Johnson (Fitchburg, Mass.) and classmate Lundyn Forcier (Woonsocket, R.I.) notching singles to load the bases, but Western New England hurler Morgan Beebe was able to work out of the jam unscathed, resulting in the 3-1 final.

Inside the Numbers

• Gauvin led the way for the Falcons, going 1-for-3 with her first collegiate homerun, one run scored and one RBI
• Floyd finished 1-for-3 with a double, one run scored and two RBI for the Golden Bears
• Newcomer Stefanie Poulin (East Berlin, Conn.) took the loss for Fitchburg State, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings of work
• Beebe earned the win for Western New England, giving up one run on four hits with 12 K's in the complete game effort

Game Two

In game two Western New England raced out to an early 6-0 advantage as sophomore Kaleigh Blades (Merrimack, N.H.) and DiBlasio notched RBI hits, while junior Cori Rizzo (Methuen, Mass.) added a grand slam.

The Golden Bears upped their margin (8-0) in the following frame with DiBlasio tripling to right field and scoring on an RBI ground out from freshman Alex Ferriouola (North Haven, Conn.), while Floyd drove in Rizzo with an RBI single.

The hosts secured the victory in the bottom of the third when Carrano, Rizzo and sophomore Lizzie Weston (Ridgewood, N.J.) registered RBI's in the stanza, resulting in the 15-0, game two victory.

Inside the Numbers

• 20th meeting between the two teams in softball with the Falcons 7-13 vs the Golden Bears
• Gauvin was solid again for Fitchburg State, hitting 2-for-3
• For Western New England, Rizzo finished 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and five RBI
• Poulin took the loss for the Falcons, giving up six runs on five hits
• Freshman Ava Blanchard (New Hartford, Conn.) collected the win for the Golden Bears, allowing four hits over three innings pitched

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Wednesday as they travel to Curry College for a non-conference twin billing starting at 3:00 PM.