Softball Advances to Play Lesley in ECAC Loser's Bracket Final

KEENE, N.H. – The Bridgewater State College softball team dropped a 9-2 decision to host Keene State College but rebounded with a 4-1 victory over Worcester State at the ECAC Division III New England Tournament on Saturday afternoon in Keene, New Hampshire.

Play resumes in the double-elimination tournament on Sunday morning at 10 AM as the fifth seeded Bears (20-20) will take on number two seed Lesley University in an elimination game.

In the 4-1 win over Worcester State, it was the sixth-seeded Lancers who took the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With two outs, sophomore Jamie Jacobs (Billerica, MA) singled through the left side, moved to second on a stolen base and then came home on an infield error. Worcester had a runner on second, but BSC junior right-hander Tracey Sanko (Windsor, CT) ended the frame with a strikeout.

Sanko and junior Michaella Mahoney (Shrewsbury, MA) matched zeros until the Bears scored four times in the top of the fifth. With two down in the inning, senior Lauren Cucinotta (Franklin, MA) plated two runs with runners on the corners and then scampered home on a muffed throw at first. Junior Penny King (Dartmouth, MA) doubled in senior Meghan Noyes (Stoughton, MA) for some insurance to cap off the inning. 

The Lancers were effectively shut down by Sanko (6-2) who set down 18 of the last 23 batters she would face from the second through the seventh inning. Sanko limited the Lancers to five total hits and she finished with eight strikeouts.

Mahoney (13-11) pitched seven complete innings and allowed four runs (zero earned) off seven hits while she walked one and punched out three.

Sanko and King led the Bears at the plate as they registered two hits apiece.

Sanko also got the start in the 9-2 loss to top-seeded Keene State but was victimized by some shaky defensive play.  The Bears made four errors which led to eight unearned runs.

Sanko went 4 1/3 innings in the circle giving up eight unearned runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts.  On the offensive side, she went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.