WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University softball team suffered a pair of defeats at the hands of Becker College to open the 2021 season on Tuesday afternoon.

The games were the first two Worcester State athletic events in any sport in more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last Worcester State sporting event was a women's lacrosse game against Johnson & Wales on March 11, 2020. It was the first Worcester State softball game since a MASCAC Tournament game against Framingham State on May 3, 2019, as the 2020 season was cancelled prior to the Lancers' first game.

With the defeats, Worcester State starts the season with a record of 0-2. Becker improves to 3-3

Game 1 - Becker 6, Worcester State 0

Becker came out swinging in the first inning of game one. Sophomore Holly Letourneau (Woonsocket, R.I.) hit a two-run single, scoring senior Sarah Ellis (Berkley, Mass.) and junior Elizabeth Simonian (Auburn, Mass.) to put the Hawks up 2-0 early.

Worcester State was unable to get things rolling as Becker continued to lay on runs in the third. Letourneau tallied another RBI to score junior Ashley Veillette (Danielson, Conn.) on a sacrifice fly to push Becker's lead to 3-0. The damage could have been worse, however, as the sac fly would have been a three-run home run if not for a leaping, home-run-robbing catch from Worcester State junior Rachel Bigelow (Westborough, Mass.).

Simonian pulled off an inside the park home run in the fifth as Becker's onslaught continued. They scored two more runs in the frame, increasing their lead to 6-0.

Veillette capped off her spectacular day on the mound in the bottom of the seventh, securing the 6-0 win for Becker. The Lancers had plenty of baserunners all game, but just couldn't bring any home.

In the circle for Worcester State, freshman Emily Bartlett (Lowell, Mass.) was credited with the loss, allowing three earned runs with four strikeouts in three innings. Senior Liv Larson (Marlborough, Mass.) threw four innings in relief, allowing just one earned run.

Game 2 - Becker 11, Worcester State 5

Worcester State shook off the rust from the first game, scoring early in game two. Graduate student Samantha Stake (Worcester, Mass.) doubled to right field, getting in scoring position early. A single from freshman Lauren Dube (Leominster, Mass.) brought Stake home, giving the Lancers an early 1-0 lead.

Neither team was able to put any runs for a few innings after that. From the second to fourth inning there were zero points put up on the scoreboard. 

Things picked back up in the fifth. A double from Ellis scored freshman Kayla Dell'Anno (Medford, Mass.) for Becker, evening the score at one apiece. The Lancers responded in the bottom of the inning, however. Five hits for Worcester State helped the Lancers put three runs on the board. Freshman Grace Adams (Leominster, Mass.), Stake, sophomore Rachel Sinclair (Westminster, Mass.), Dube, and senior Ally Tocman (Shrewsbury, Mass.) all contributed hits. Worcester State carried a 4-1 lead into the sixth.

Despite the offensive attack from the Lancers, Becker fought back in a big way, as the Hawks scored eight runs in the top of the sixth. It was a huge inning for freshman Jilliana Stevens (Farmington, N.H.), who recorded two singles, stole a base, and touched home twice on her own. Becker went from down three after the fifth to being up 9-4 going into the bottom of the sixth.

The Lancers scored once on an RBI single from Sinclair in the sixth, but couldn't manage to mount a comeback. A two-run seventh inning for the Hawks sealed their comeback win as they swept Worcester State, winning game two by a score of 11-5.

Sophomore Lindsey Mitchell (Billerica, Mass.) pitched all seven innings for the Hawks, allowing 11 hits on the day with only two walks. Junior Jen Thorburn (Groton, Mass.) pitched a complete game for the Lancers. She finished the game with six strikeouts, and only two of the 11 runs allowed were earned.

Worcester State will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, hosting Anna Maria for a doubleheader at Raymond Diamond. First pitch in game one is scheduled for 3 p.m., and will be streamed live at wsulancers.com/broadcast.  

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