Softball Improves to 4-0 with Wins over Dominican, RIT

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Junior right-hander Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Conn.) tossed a complete-game shutout to lead the Bridgewater State University softball team to a 3-0 victory over Dominican University on Sunday,  The Bears would post a high-scoring 12-11 extra inning win over Rochester Institute of Technology in their second game of the day.

Bridgewater remains unbeaten on the season with the pair of wins as the Bears improve to 4-0.

In the opener, Dunn (1-0) scattered seven hits, did not walk anybody and struck out six to pick up her first win of the season.

Bridgewater plated two runs in the top of the fourth on a throwing error and an RBI ground out.  Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, Mass.) gave the Bears a 3-0 lead when she belted her second home run of the season in the fifth.

Dominican would threaten in the bottom of the fifth as the first two hitters reached safely.  Dunn, however, would go on to strike out the side to put an end to the threat.  The Stars also had a runner thrown out at the plate to end the sixth.

Stephanie Burns (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Brianna Strecker (Waterford, Conn.) banged out two hits apiece to lead the Bears' seven-hit attack.  Burns went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double while Strecker finished 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, a stolen base and a run scored.  Shaw also walked in three plate appearances.

Bridgewater rapped out 15 hits in the 12-11 nine-inning triumph over RIT led by a 4-for-4 performance at the plate by Shaw.  Shaw homered for the third time in four games, doubled twice, stole a base, scored two runs and drove in four.

Strecker finished 3-for-5 in win over the Tigers as she banged out a pair of doubles, stole a base, knocked in four runs and scored one.  Jocelyn Bettencourt (Plymouth, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and two runs scored.

Bridgewater plated five runs in the third inning highlighted by a two-run double by Shaw and a two-run single off the bat of Strecker. Shaw banged out her third home run on four games to break a 6-6 tie in the top of the fifth.

RIT would jump ahead 8-7 on a two-run double by Michelle Tabisz (Silver Springs, Md.) in the bottom if the sixth.

Trailing by a run, the Bears would score the tying run on an RBI double by Strecker with one out in the seventh.

After both teams scored a run in the eighth to keep the game tied at 8-8, Bridgewater struck for three runs in the top half of the ninth inning.  Shaw drove in the first run with a single and the second run scored on an RIT throwing error.  Strecker capped of the frame with an RBI double.

RIT loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth.  An RBI ground out cut the Tigers deficit to 11-9.  After a pop out, Brittany Purcell singled to left field to score Brittany Griffin (Sterling, Va.) from third.  Brittany Kemp (Dansville, N.Y.) tried to score from second with the tying run but was cut down at the plate by BSU left fielder Melissa Harmon (Shrewsbury, Mass.) to end the game.

Amber White picked up her third win in the circle for the Bears.  White (3-0) gave up 11 runs (nine earned) on 16 hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

Tabisz, Griffin, Tori Nadow (Charlton, Mass.) and Sarah Wolcott (Cohocton, N.Y.) paced the Tigers' 16-hit attack.  Tabisz finished 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBI.  Griffin went 2-for-3 with a home run, double, three runs and a pair of RBI.  Nadow had three hits in four at bats with a homer and three RBI, while Wolcott was 3-for-5 with three runs batted in.

Tiffany Gundler (North Adams, Mass.) suffered the loss in relief of starter Sarah Collums (Falmouth, Maine).  Gundler (0-1) was touched for six runs (three earned) on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings of work.  Collums worked the first four innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Bridgewater returns to the diamond on Monday when the Bears take on Regis College and Penn State-Behrend beginning at 9:00 AM.