Softball Sweeps Westfield State in MASCAC Twinbill

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The  visiting Bridgewater State University softball team swept Westfield State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the WSU Softball Field.

Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) picked up the win in both halves of the twinbill to lead the Bears to the key MASCAC wins. Bridgewater won the opener, 5-4, in nine innings and completed the sweep with a 9-1 five-inning victory in game two. The nightcap went just five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.

The Bears improve to 6-7-1 on the season and 5-2-1 in the MASCAC with the sweep, while the host Owls fall to 8-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

Game One

Madison Dana's (Lynn, Mass.) game-winning RBI single in the top of the ninth inning lifted Bridgewater State to the 5-4 win in the opener.

Reichert allowed one run on four hits over 3 2/3 innings of relief to pick up the win in the circle. Reichert did not issue a walk and fanned three.

Westfield rallied late to send the game into extra innings.

Sarah Meunier (Deerfield, Mass.) homered over the left field fence with two outs in the bottom of the first inning to give the Owls the early 1-0 lead.

The Bears answered with an unearned run in the top of the second to knot the score at 1-1. A single by Dana and a walk to Kim Scanlon (Medford, Mass.) put runners on first and second with two outs. Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) then reached on an error on a bunt attempt which allowed Dana to come around with the tying run.

Bridgewater pushed across three runs in the top of the fourth. Kerrin McLaughlin (Haverhill, Mass.) led off the frame with her team-leading third home run of the season to put the visitors out in front. Scanlon followed with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score on Megan Sharon's (East Longmeadow, Mass.) RBI double. Emma Healy (Plymouth, Mass.) then plated Sharon with an RBI double to make it a 4-1 game.

Westfield chased BSU starter Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) with an RBI double from Madison Philbrook (Westhampton, Mass.) in the sixth, then Alyssa Clark (Uxbridge, Mass.) singled in another run to cut the lead to 4-3.

The Owls tied the game off of Reichert in the bottom of the seventh.  Down to their final strike, Owls' starting pitcher Emily Arredondo's (Woburn, Mass.) single scored Jordyn Carpenter (Mashpee, Mass.) from third to force extra innings.

Neither teams scored in the eighth as the Bears stranded a runner on second base and the Owls left a runner on first.

In the ninth, Ava Novakoski (Auburn, Mass.) led off the inning with a base hit, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored the go ahead run on Dana's RBI single to centerfield. Reichert retired the Owls 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win.

Healy (2-5, 2B, RBI), Dana (2-5, R, RBI) and McLaughlin (2-4, HR, BB, R, RBI) all finished with a pair of hits for the Bears. Scanlon reached safely three times as she went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored.

Hatch worked into the sixth for the Bears as she allowed three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings with one walk.

Arredondo (3-5) tossed all nine inning for the Owls, allowing five runs (four earned) on 11 hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

Clark went 3-for-3 with a double, stolen base and RBI to pace the Westfield offense in the opener. Meunier (2-4, HR, 2R, RBI) and Philbrook (2-4, 2B, RBI) added two hits apiece for the Owls.

Game Two

In the nightcap, Reichert (6-5) shut the Owls down on just three hits, allowing one run and fanning six in a game shortened by the eight-run rule. She has recorded the win in the circle in each of the Bears' last four games.

The Bears offense stayed hot with 12 more hits. Reichert was just as impressive at the plate as she was in the circle going 3-for-3 with a triple, two runs and an RBI. Healy (2-3, 2R, 2 RBI), Jolly (2-3, R, 2RBI) and Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) also recorded multiple hits for the visitors in game two. Ruprecht singled twice in three at bats, stole a base, scored a run and knocked in one.

Philbrook's RBI double in the second inning staked the Owls to the early 1-0 lead. That was all the offense the Owls could muster, however, as Reichert retired the next 12 hitters in order to close out the game.

The Bears scored a pair of unearned runs in the third on an RBI double from Dana and an RBI single from Ruprecht to jump in front for good. Reichert singled to lead off the fourth and scored all the way from first on Jolly's RBI double to make it a 3-1 game.

Fielding miscues cost the Owls again in fifth as a pair of errors opened the flood gates for five more runs and a 9-1 BSU lead. Reichert connected for an RBI triple in the frame, while Jolly singled home a run and Healy capped off the scoring with a two-run single.

Brenna Welch (Halifax, Mass.) allowed eight runs, only one of which was earned, on ten hits in the setback for Westfield. Welch (2-4) walked three and fanned two.

Up Next: The two teams will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at BSU's Alumni Park with game one of the non-conference doubleheader getting underway at 1:30.