Owls, Lancers Split Doubleheader

WESTFIELD, Mass.    –  Worcester State pitcher Peyton Maloney narrowly missed a no-hitter, taking the bid into the seventh inning before Westfield State's Hannah Wodecki broke up the no-hitter in a 7-0 Worcester State win in game 2 as the two teams split a MASCAC doubleheader at Sullivan Field on Friday afternoon.

Westfield (18-4, 3-1 MASCAC) emerged victorious in game 1 with a 6-2 decision over the Lancers (10-9, 1-3).

In the opener, Owls starter Katherine Canty threw a complete game to earn the win and push her record to 8-0 in the season.  She scattered six hits and two runs while striking out three and walking none.  Canty worked out of a 2-on, none-out situation in the second inning to keep the Lancers scoreless until the fifth.

Westfield jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two innings, getting a leadoff triple from Katelyn Baker followed by an RBI base hit from Wodecki in the first inning.

In the second inning the Owls were aided by a leadoff error, but got an RBI single from Abby Clark, followed by a 2-run pinch-hit single from Janna Jose, as Westfield coach Joe Hough threw all the right levers early with a pair of pinch-runners and pinch-hitter in the first two innings to stake the Owls to the big lead.

Westfield Allysa Slack added an RBI double in the fourth to push the lead to 5-0.

Worcester scored both their runs in the fifth inning, on an RBI double from Cali Brouillard, and Brouillard later scored on a wild pitch.

Lancers' starter Taylor Coonan (L, 2-3) took the loss, allowing six hits and five runs (but just two earned) in 3.2 innings.

Maloney was the story in game 2, not allowing a base runner until Wodecki was hit by a pitch with two out in the fourth inning.  She worked a 1-2-3 fifth, then worked around a leadoff error in the sixth.

In the seventh, Wodecki broke up the no-hit-bid with a slow roller up the middle that Lancers' 2B Morgan Keefe was able to glove, but not throw out Wodecki at first for the Owls' lone hit of the game.    Westfield catcher Mia Alfonso launched a towering fly ball to left center that gave the Owls hope, but was caught on the warning track, and Maloney struck out the Owls' Sarah Bingham to end the game and secure the Lancer win.

Worcester scored twice in the second, getting an RBI double from Amanda Adumuska, who would score on a sac fly from Laurel Field.

The Lancers opened the lead up in the sixth, stringing together a pair of singles and an sacrifice bunt to set the table for Jordan Geloso, who slapped a two run base hit to left.  In the top of the seventh Keefe delivered an RBI double and Abigail Koziol followed with a double to plate Keefe as part of a three run inning.

Westfield native Emma LaPoint finished 2-4 at the plate and turned in a number of plays in left field to help keep the no –hit bid alive, and Keefe and Koziol each had a pair of hits for the Lancers.

Westfield's Slack turned in a couple of outstanding plays in the field, snagging a pair of line drive outs.