Senior Amanda Flower, right, receives a hug from junior Kat Robinson during Senior Day. Also pictured is junior Kelsey Carpenter. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
WESTFIELD – Westfield State University and Fitchburg State University split a softball doubleheader to conclude the conference regular season on Sunday, April 27. Westfield won the opener, 4-0, and Fitchburg bounced back to win the nightcap, 2-0.
Fitchburg State improves to 14-16 and 6-8 in the conference, while Westfield State is 10-18 overall and 3-11 in conference play.
In game one, the hitting of Breanne Bisceglia (Worcester, Mass.) (2 for 3, home run, two RBI) and shutout pitching of Kelley Fluet (Worcester, Mass.) (4 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts) powered the Owls.
Westfield State took the lead in the bottom of the second inning as Bisceglia connected on her first home run this the season and the second of her career with leadoff solo shot to left field for the 1-0 lead.
The Owls upped their lead in the fourth frame when freshman Elizabeth Kelly (Quincy, Mass.) singled through the right side, moved to second on a groundout to third and crossed the plate on throwing miscue for the 2-0 margin.
The hosts capped the game’s scoring in the sixth stanza as freshman Julia Sullivan (W. Barnstable, Mass.) singled and scored on an RBI double off the bat of Kelly. Bisceglia drove in Kelly with a single to right, resulting in the 4-0 final.
Kelly had two hits, including a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
Freshman Courtney Borysewicz (Quaker Hill, Conn.), classmate Corin Swarbrick (Lawrence, Mass.) and junior Marissa Binnall (Fitchburg, Mass.) collected one hit apiece for the Falcons
In the circle, junior Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) suffered the setback, allowing four runs (3 earned) on six hits with six strikeouts for Fitchburg State.
In the nightcap, Fitchburg State received some timely hitting, scoring single runs in the third and fourth innings to defeat Westfield State, 2-0, to salvage the split.
Sophomore Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.) ignited Fitchburg State’s game two offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple, while senior Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass.) aided the Falcons offense, collecting a pair of hits and one run scored.
For the Owls, freshman Emma Dunbar (Weymouth, Mass.) went a perfect 2-for-2 at the dish, while Sullivan registered the other hit for the hosts.
On the mound, senior Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass.) picked up win for Fitchburg State, with three hits, one walk and ten punch outs in seven innings of work. Junior Emily Mailloux (Erving, Mass.) took the loss for the Owls, giving up two earned runs on 10 hits and a pair of strikeouts.
Fitchburg State threatened in the top of the third frame as Gemma doubled to center field, moved to third on an infield single by Forgues but Mailloux induced a fly out to center field to work out of the inning unscathed to keep the score 0-0.
The Falcons broke the 0-0 stalemate in the top of the fifth inning when reached Forgues on a fielder’s choice, advanced to second on base hit by freshman Jessalynne Brown (Malden, Mass.) and scored on an RBI double to right center from Borysewicz for the 1-0 lead.
The Green and Gold doubled their lead (2-0) in the following inning as junior Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J.) singled to left, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by classmate Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass.) and scored on a wild pitch, resulting in the 2-0 final.
Fitchburg returns to action on Thursday as it awaits its seeding in the upcoming MASCAC post-season tournament. Westfield State (10-18, 3-11) concludes its 2014 season on Tuesday as it hosts Springfield College in a doubleheader, starting at 3:30 p.m.
