Softball earns first league win in split with Mass Maritime

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.—The MCLA Softball team captured their first conference win of the season splitting a doubleheader today against MASCAC rival Mass Maritime. The Trailblazers took game one 8-5 but fell in the nightcap 13-11. With the results, the Buccaneers move to 13-15 (3-7 MASCAC) while the Trailblazers are now 7-23 (1-9 MASCAC).

Game One         MCLA 8               Mass Maritime 5

Lidia Flores (2-for-3, 2 RBI) drove in the first two runs of the opener singling in Hailey Peabody (1-for-3) in the bottom of the 1^st and doubling in Ella Staffier (2-for3, RBI) in the bottom of the 3^rd. Kristie Zator (3-for-4, RBI) would drive in Flores later in the inning to put MCLA up 3-0.

In the bottom of the 4^th, Madison Teta (2-for-4, HR, RBI) who was honored before the game during the senior day ceremonies, hit a solo shot over the right field fence and the Trailblazers would score another on an error to take a 5-0 lead.

Mass Maritime would have a big response scoring five runs in the top of the 5^th including a three-run homerun by Ab'C'De Patane to tie the game 5-5. But the Trailblazers would retake the lead in the home-half on a Maggie Closinski (1-for-3) base hit that scored Justina Pardi (1-for-2) to make it 6-5.

Following a stand-up triple by Peabody in the bottom of the 6^th, a Staffier sacrifice fly, and a wild pitch which allowed Zator to come home would make it 8-5 and clinch the Trailblazers first conference win of the season.

Jennamarie Klemp (L, 8-13) took the loss for the Mariners allowing five runs in three innings of relief while MCLA Lidia Flores (W, 4-9) went the distance allowing five runs on four hits to earn the win.

Game Two         Mass Maritime 13          MCLA 11

The night cap was a slugfest with the teams combining for 24 runs and 27 hits but seven MCLA errors proved costly down the stretch.

A 3-run homer by MCLA's Kristie Zator (1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) in the bottom of the 1^st inning would tie the game 3-3 before the Trailblazers jumped ahead with four runs in the 2^nd to make it 7-3 after two.

The Mariners posted four runs in the top of the 4^th to tie the game at 7-7 but the Trailblazers would answer with two runs in the home-half thanks to an RBI double by Hailey Peabody (2-for3, 3 RBI) and an Ella Staffier (1-for-3, RBI) sacrifice fly making it 9-7.

After the Bucs scored two in the 5^th to tie the game at 9-9, Grace Biondo (4-for-5, RBI) would single and later score in the 6^th to put the visitors ahead 10-9.

A Lidia Flores (2-for-4, 4 RBI) 2-RBI single which scored Madison Teta (1-for-3) and Ezmerelda Albright (3-for4, RBI) would give MCLA the lead again 11-10 but a 2-run homer by Kelsey Booker (3-for-5, 4RBI) and a Biondo solo-shot in the top of the 7^th would prove to be the difference as the Bucs escaped with the 13-11 win to split the day.

Jennamarie Klemp (W, 9-13) earned the win pitching an 11 run, thirteen hit complete game for Maritime. Reliever Hailey Peabody (L, 0-1) took the loss for the Trailblazers allowing 6 runs (3 earned) on five hits while striking out three batters.