WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University softball team couldn't get by Anna Maria College in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Raymond Diamond.
With the pair of losses, Worcester State drops to 0-4 on the young season, while Anna Maria improves to 2-2.
Game 1: Anna Maria 9, Worcester State 8
Worcester State jumped out to an early advantage in game one of the twin bill, with a pair of runs in both the first and second innings. Freshman Lauren Dube (Leominster, Mass.) drew a bases loaded walk to plate the game's first run, while senior Liv Larson (Marlborough, Mass.) brought the lead to 2-0 on an RBI groundout two batters later.
In the bottom of the second, freshman Grace Adams (Leominster, Mass.) doubled the Lancer lead with an inside-the-park home run. With right fielder Hailey Shaw (Salem, N.H.) playing shallow, Adams hit a towering flyball to the warning track and cruised around the bases for the four-bagger. Senior Rachel Bigelow (Westborough, Mass.), who had walked in the previous at-bat, came around to score on the first collegiate home run for Adams.
Both teams tacked on a run in the third to push the score to 5-1 Lancers, before Anna Maria put up a five-spot in the top of the fourth to take a 6-5 lead. Junior Shay Savoie (Namao, Alb.) delivered the biggest blow of the inning, a two-run double that tied the score at five apiece.
Sophomore Rachel Sinclair (Westminster, Mass.) once again tied the score for the hosts in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single to left field.
Each team scored twice in the fifth inning, capped by a two-run single from Worcester State's Bigelow, but it was an RBI groundout in the top of the sixth from Amcat sophomore Kaitlyn Snyder (Cromwell, Conn.) that proved to be the winning run. Both teams' bats went silent in the final inning and a half, and the Amcats prevailed by a 9-8 final.
Worcester State's Jen Thorburn (Groton, Mass.) was tagged with the loss in the circle, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts in a complete game. Anna Maria reliever Eden Forget (Worcester, Mass.) picked up the victory, allowing two earned over 3.1 innings with a trio of punchouts.
Adams and Sinclair led the Lancers with two hits apiece, while Anna Maria's Saylor Costa (East Providence, R.I.) led all players with three hits.
Game 2: Anna Maria 5, Worcester State 2
Game two proved to be much more of a pitchers' dual than its back and forth predecessor as Anna Maria closed out the sweep of the Lancers.
Junior Ashley Garcia (Cornwall, N.Y.) got Anna Maria on the board first in the top of the first inning with an RBI single down the right field line. The score remained unchanged until the fifth inning, when Garcia struck again, this time with an RBI double to extend the Amcat lead to 2-0.
Adams got Worcester State on the board in the bottom of the inning, driving in her third RBI of the afternoon on a groundout to second base, cutting Anna Maria's lead to 2-1.
In the top of the sixth, a Kendall McNamee (Somers, Conn.) RBI triple and a pair of sacrifice flies saw Anna Maria push the contest all but out of reach for the Lancers at 5-1. The hosts were able to mount a small rally in the bottom of the seventh when freshman Brynna Meeker (Northwood, N.H.) recorded an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2, but that would be the last of the Lancer offense.
Forget picked up her second win of the afternoon, throwing a complete game for the visitors and allowing two earned on six hits. Larson was the losing pitcher for Worcester State, allowing four earned in a complete game.
Worcester State will open MASCAC play tomorrow when they travel to Bridgewater State for a doubleheader. The contests will stream live at MASCAC.tv.
#WooSB