Reichert Tosses No-Hitter as Softball Splits Twinbill with UMass Boston

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior righthander Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) tossed her first collegiate no-hitter to lead the visiting Bridgewater State University softball team to a doubleheader split with UMass Boston on Friday afternoon at the UMB Softball Field.

The host Beacons (7-3) posted an 8-3 win in the opener, while the Bears (7-6-1) earned the split with the 7-0 no-hit victory in game two.

The no-hitter marked the Bears' first since 2016 when Kelly McCarthy tossed a five-inning no-hitter against Northland College on March 9th in Naples, Florida. Bridgewater's last seven-inning no-hitter was thrown by BSU Hall of Fame Amber White on March 3rd of 2012 against Alverno College in Cape Coral, Florida.

Game One: UMass Boston 8, Bridgewater State 3

Sophomore pitcher Brianna Melchionda (Marshfield, Mass.) went the distance in the circle for the Beacons in game one to pick up her second win of the season. Melchionda (2-1) allowed three runs (one earned) on nine hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.

Melchionda got plenty of support from the UMass offense as the Beacons banged out 14 hits in the opener, including six for extra bases, and grabbed control of the game early with a five-run second inning.

Junior Sydney Sanden (Riverton, Conn.) went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run and an RBI, while Haley Tilberry (Moosic, Pa.) was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a triple, two runs and an RBI. Freshman centerfielder Christina Panagiotopulos (Lowell, Mass.) and freshman right fielder Amauri English (North Providence, R.I.) also finished with multiple hits in game one for UMass. Panagiotopoulos went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI, while English singled twice in four at bats and scored a run.

Senior shortstop Megan Sharon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) paced the BSU nine-hit attack as she went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs batted in. Graduate centerfielder Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) reached safely in all three plate appearances as she singled twice and walked.

UMass sent ten batters to the plate in the decisive second inning. Freshman shortstop Kayley Bruce (Foxborough, Mass.), freshman left fielder Gabriella Messier (Berkley, Mass.) and Sanden registered RBI single in the frame while Tilberry connected for a two-run triple.

The Bears got on the board with a run in the top of the third. Sophomore left fielder Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) doubled with two outs, advanced to third on a wild pitched and raced home when Sharon reached on an error.

The Beacons extended the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Sanden tripled and scored on an RBI single by Panagiotopoulos. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Lauryn Bethea (Springfield, Mass.) plated Panagiotopoulos with an RBI double.

Sharon drove in run with a base hit to make it a 7-2 game in the top of the fifth. UMass answered in the home half of the fifth as Tilberry doubled with two outs and came around to score on Melchionda's RBI single.

The Bears capped off the scoring in the top of the seventh. Sophomore right fielder Madison Flamme (Bethel, Conn.) led off the inning with a base hit, advanced to second on a ground out, to third on a wild pitch and crossed the plate on Jolly's RBI ground out.

Two BSU pitchers combined to give up eight runs (six earned) on 14 hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The Bears committed three errors in the contest.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 7, UMass Boston 0

Reichert (4-2) dominated from start to finish as she did not allow a batter to reach safely via a hit, walk or hit by pitch. After the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first inning reached on an error, the righthander set down the next 21 batters in a row to record the no-hitter. Reichert struck out seven, including five of the last eight batters she faced, and induced 11 ground ball outs.

Reichert got all the support she would need when the Bears capitalized on a pair of UMB errors to push across three unearned runs in the top of the second inning. Flamme and freshman third baseman Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) cracked RBI singles in the frame.

Bridgewater took advantage of two more UMass miscues to plate three runs in the fifth and extend the lead to 6-0. Senior right fielder Emma Healy (Plymouth, Mass.) doubled to lead off the inning and moved to second when Sharon reached on an error. Healy then beat the throw home on a squeeze bunt by Ruprecht, and both Sharon and Ruprecht came around to score on the play when the catcher threw errantly down the left field line.

Graduate catcher Madison Synan (Quincy, Mass.) doubled and scored on an RBI triple by sophomore first baseman Ava Novakoski (Auburn, Mass.) to cap off the scoring in the top of the seventh.

Marcotte went 3-for-4 with a stolen base and RBI to pace the Bears' 12-hit attack. Synan (2-for-4) also finished with multiple hits in game two for the visitors.

Sophomore righthander Emily Doble (Danvers, Mass.) was saddled with the loss in the circle for the Beacons in the complete game effort. Doble (1-1) allowed seven runs, only two of which were earned, on 12 hits. She did not issue a walk and fanned four.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon. The Bears travel to Johnson & Wales University for a noontime doubleheader with the Wildcats, while the Beacons host a twinbill with Salve Regina University with game one also starting at noon.