WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State's Sarah Hough rapped out four hits in the doubleheader and the Owls got a pair of good pitching performances to sweep Salem State by scores of 3-2 and 5-4 at Alumni Field in Salem on Saturday afternoon.
With the two wins, Westfield is now 21-9 overall and 9-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Owls sit just one game behind league leading Framingham State, with a showdown between the two teams still ahead next Saturday. Salem is now 9-25 overall and 1-9 in the conference.
Westfield needed extra innings to pull out the win in game 1, with Mia Alfonso singling to lead off the ninth, then came all the way around to score on an error after Christina Ciampa sacrificed bunted Alfonso to second.
Owls starter Stephanie Scoville went the distance to earn the win, allowing 10 hits but just one earned run while striking out five, to get her 10th win of the season.
Hough finished with a pair of hits and a run scored.
In game 2, Westfield jumped out to leads of 2-0 and 5-2, and held of the Vikings attack late.
Ciampa singled home one run in the second inning and came around to score another on an error to give Westfield a 2-0 lead. Salem tied the game at 2-2 in the third.
The Owls took a 5-2 lead in the sixth on a two-run single from Jordyn Lummus and and RBI single from Meredith Higgins.
Westfield State starter Janna Jose worked around a walk, a hit, and an error in the bottom of the seventh to allow a pair of unearned runs but got a ground out to end the threat and the game and earn her first collegiate pitching win.
Ciampa finished with three hits, and Hough and Higgins each added two hits.