Softball Drops Pair of Games to UMass Boston

By Jim Fenton

BOSTON, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team managed just three hits while being swept in a doubleheader by the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The Bears were limited to a sixth-inning double in the opener, which they lost, 8-3, to the Beacons and had a pair of singles in the nightcap, an 11-3 loss  ended in the sixth inning.

BSU has dropped four straight games and is now 7-8 while UMass Boston is 12-1 with a 10-game winning streak. The Beacons own a 16-9 lead in the series with the Bears.

BSU will play a non-conference doubleheader at home on Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Wheaton College while UMass Boston has a doubleheader at Emmanuel on Monday at 5 p.m.

Game One: UMass Boston 8, Bridgewater State 3

The Bears were held hitless until the sixth inning when freshman Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.) broke through with a two-run double to center field.

Winning pitcher Bri Melchionda (Marshfield, Mass.) struck out 12 and allowed two earned runs for the Beacons, who jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings.

UMass Boston took a 1-0 lead in the first when Sofie Richland (South Burlington, Vt.) and Haley Tilberry (Moosic, Pa.) reached on bunt singles and Hayley Krockta (Taunton, Mass.) brought in a run on a groundout.

In the second, a single by Lauren Miner (Millbury, Mass.) scored Mya Perron (Beverly, Mass.), who had doubled to right-center.

The Beacons added four runs in the third inning with Tilberry drawing a walk and scoring on a triple to left-center by Melchionda, who scored on a groundout.

Krockta walked and Perron bunted for a hit and both stole a base. They scored on a single to right by Ella Delisle (Amesbury, Mass.).

BSU got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning with Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) reaching on an error and Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) getting hit by a pitch with two outs. Schaefer then broke up the no-hit bid with the double for two runs.

Walks to Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.), Riley Fitzgerald (Swansea, Mass.) and Lily Gioiosa (Dartmouth, Mass.) produced the third run of the inning.

UMass Boston scored twice in the sixth inning with Tilberry reaching on a two-base error, moving to third on a groundout and coming home on a single to center by Krockta. Pinch runner Keira Howley (Abington, Mass.) scored the Beacons' final run on a double to left by Perron.

Perron led the Beacons' 11-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with two doubles. Miner (three stolen bases) and Tilberry had two his each and Krockta drove in two runs for UMass Boston.

Game Two: UMass Boston 11, Bridgewater State 3

BSU held a 3-1 lead after scoring all of its runs in the top of the second inning, but UMass Boston took control with two runs in the bottom of the inning and seven more in the third inning.

The Beacons were up, 1-0, in the first as Tilberry tripled to right-center and scored on a groundout.

BSU's lone offensive outburst came in the second as Fitzgerald and Emily Eastman (Cranston, R.I.) drew walks and an error loaded the bases. Madelyn Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) reached on an error, which scored two runs, and Kyleah Plumb (Taunton, Mass.) singled in a run.

The only other hit BSU had was a single to left in the third inning by Becker.

UMass Boston made it 3-3 in the second inning as Gracie Granger (Paxton, Mass.) delivered a two-run double to right field.

In the third, Perron had a two-run single to center, Amauri English (North Providence, R.I.) and Miner added RBI singles, Granger scored a run on a groundup and Tilberry finished the scoring in the inning with a two-run single up the middle.

UMass Boston's final run in the sixth came on a sacrifice fly by Granger.

Kaitlyn Sawyer (North Andover, Mass.) had three hits and scored three runs to lead UMass Boston.

Tilberry, Perron, Krockta and Lauryn Bethea (Springfield, Mass.) had two hits each while Granger drove in four runs.

Jacquline Cherry (Franklin, Mass.) pitched the two-hitter for the win.