WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University softball team recorded a pair of victories over Fitchburg State University Friday evening in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Raymond Diamond. Worcester State won game one 7-1 and game two 3-1.
With the wins, Worcester State improves to 7-12-1 on the season and 3-4-1 in MASCAC play. Fitchburg State drops to 9-9 and 3-5 in the league.
Between games of the doubleheader, the Worcester State Athletics Department honored members of the Worcester State softball senior class. Seniors Ally Tocman (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Samantha Stake (Worcester, Mass.), and Liv Larson (Marlborough, Mass.), along with Class of 2020 graduate Ashley Lynch, who lost her senior season and Senior Day to the pandemic, were joined on the field by their families for the senior celebration.
Game 1: Worcester State 7, Fitchburg State 1
Larson celebrated her Senior Day in style with a huge pitching performance to lift her team to a 7-1 victory in the opener.
The senior threw a complete game two-hitter, allowing just the one earned run on a Molly Grass solo home run in the top of the seventh inning. Larson struck out four Falcons en route to her second victory of the season.
Stake opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI single, which was followed by RBI triples from first-years Emily Bartlett (Lowell, Mass.) and Brynna Meeker (Northwood, N.H.) to put Worcester State ahead 3-0.
Worcester State tacked on four more in the fourth to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Grace Adams (Leominster, Mass.) started the surge with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk, before an RBI single from Stake and a two-run single from Meeker extended the lead to seven.
Fitchburg's loss was charged to Taylor Colvin, who allowed seven earned on nine hits with five strikeouts over five innings.
Game 2: Worcester State 3, Fitchburg State 1
Worcester State again rode a red hot start in the circle to a victory to close out the sweep. Junior Jen Thorburn (Groton, Mass.) tossed a complete game allowing just one earned on five hits with six strikeouts to earn her second win of the season.
Adams shined for Worcester State at the plate, finishing a triple shy of the cycle in the win. The rookie blasted her first collegiate home run in the bottom of the first inning to put Worcester State ahead 1-0. An inning later, she recorded her second RBI of the contest, scoring Rachel Sinclair (Westminster, Mass.) on a single to right center.
Worcester State would add one more run in the second inning on a Stake sacrifice fly, putting the Lancers ahead 3-0.
The score remained 3-0 until two outs in the top of the seventh inning, when Madison Mantegani recorded an RBI double. The Falcon rally would fall short however, as Thorburn was able to slam the door shut for the victory.
Sarah Cahill took the loss for Fitchburg State, allowing two earned runs on eight hits in the complete game defeat.
The two teams will return to the diamond for a non-conference doubleheader at Fitchburg State on Saturday afternoon. First pitch on MASCAC.tv is slated for 12 p.m.
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