Jamie Ricciardi had a pair of hits in the first game for Westfield State
WESTFIELD – MCLA swept a softball doubleheader from Westfield State by scores of 8-0 and 11-4 on Tuesday.
The Trailblazers improved to 7-13, 4-2 in the MASCAC with the win, while Westfield State drops to 6-10 overall and 2-4 in the MASCAC.
In the Opener, Rachel Quackenbush blanked the Owls on four hits over five innings, striking out five. The game was shortened to five innings by the eight run rule. Quackenbush and Amanda Meczywor each drove in a pair of runs for the Trailblazers.
Jamie Ricciardi had a pair of hits for the Owls.
In the night cap, Westfield took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kelsey Carpenter singled to lead off the game and freshman third baseman Maddy Atkocaitis followed with a double down the left field line to drive Carpenter in.
MCLA tallied three times in the third inning with doubles from Meczywor and Quackenbush, the latter of which drove in a pair of runs. The Blazers three more times in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a pair of errors by the Owls that helped open the flood gates.
Westfield got three runs back in the fifth with Ricciardi delivering and RBI single and Emma Dunbar delivering a squeeze bunt that cut the lead back to 6-4.
MCLA scored again in the sixth, and put the game away with a four run seventh inning, with Meczywor doubling home a pair of runs.
Meczywor earned the pitching win for MCLA, while Quackenbush came on to earn a save.
Breanne Bisceglia was 3-3 at the plate for Westfield, with Lyndsey MacQuarrie adding a pair of hits.
Westfield will host WPI in a make-up doubleheader tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
