BUZZARDS BAY – Junior Julia Sullivan (West Barnstable, Mass.) and sophomore Angelica Banning (East Granby, Conn.) each drove in five runs to lead Westfield State to a sweep of a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader from Massachusetts Maritime by scores of 21-0 and 14-1 in a pair of five inning contests played Saturday afternoon at Alison Rollins Field.
The visiting Owls (18-20, 10-4 MASCAC) rapped out 16 hits in each outing and used 10-run rallies in the third inning of the opener and the fourth frame of the nightcap to post their sweep. Sullivan and Banning combined for four hits and nine RBI in the lid-lifter for Westfield State, which also received three RBI from junior Emma Dunbar (Weymouth, Mass.) to go with two hits and a pair of RBI off the bat of junior Elizabeth Kelly (Quincy, Mass.).
Freshman Sarah Eugenio (Marshfield, Mass.) picked up her ninth win of the season inside the circle for the Owls by fanning four over three shutout innings of work, as the visitors also received two hits from freshman Karly Mastello (Russell, Mass.) and a pair of RBI off the bat of freshman Bri Tortora (Worcester, Mass.).
Owls shortstop Liz Kelly drove in three runs Saturday vs. Mass Maritime.
Freshman Rachel Gardner (Bourne, Mass.) collected two hits in the opening game setback for the host Buccaneers (5-23, 0-14 MASCAC), who also received a double from sophomore Emily Bacchiocchi (Wareham, Mass.). Sophomore Carli Thomas (Brewster, Mass.) singled and struck out one in three innings of work inside the circle for Massachusetts Maritime.
Senior Jamie Ricciardi (Tewksbury, Mass.) rapped out three hits in the nightcap win for Westfield State, which also received two hits and a pair of RBI each from senior Emilie Manna (Reading, Mass.), sophomore Maddy Atkocaitis (Westfield, Mass.) and freshman Rachel Sheehan (Florence, Mass.).
Sullivan earned her eighth pitching win of the season by allowing a hit and fanning five in three innings of work for the Owls, who also received two hits from Tortora and a pair of RBI from sophomore Lyndsey MacQuarrie (Avon, Mass.).
Gardner added her third hit of the day in the second contest for the Buccaneers, as she went the distance in suffering the setback inside the circle.
Westfield State is seeded third in next weekend’s MASCAC Championships and will take on sixth-seeded MCLA in opening round single elimination play on Thursday afternoon at Alumni Field in Westfield, Mass. – Story courtesy of Massachusetts Maritime Sports Information
