By Jim Fenton
FITCHBURG, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team was swept by Fitchburg State University in a conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
The Bears, who began the day riding a five-game winning streak, lost the opener, 3-2, in nine innings and fell, 4-0, in the second game.
BSU is now 12-12 overall and 3-3 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference while the Falcons are 9-13 and 4-2 in the conference with five straight victories.
The Bears play their next eight games at Alumni Park, starting with a doubleheader against Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Monday at 12:30 p.m.
Fitchburg State travels to Worcester State University for a doubleheader beginning at noon on Monday.
BSU left 16 runners on base in the two games, getting just the two runs and 15 hits.
The Falcons had entered the doubleheader with BSU winning only 10 of the previous 84 meetings. The Bears remain winless on the road this season with an 0-6 mark.
Game One: Fitchburg State 3, Bridgewater State 2 (9 inn.)
Allison Pogrek (Millbury, Mass.) doubled home pinch runner Maggie Bourgeis (Fitchburg, Mass.) with the winning run in the ninth for the Falcons.
Shaelyn Burns (North Attleboro, Mass.) had reached on a single to center with one out and Bourgeis pinch ran. She scored with two outs on the double to right-center field.
BSU had trailed, 2-0, since the second inning until tying the game by scoring its only runs in the seventh inning.
Riley Fitzgerald (Swansea, Mass.) had a one-out single to right and Kyleah Plumb (Taunton, Mass.) singled up the middle. They advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch.
Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) walked with Fitzgerald scoring on another wild pitch, and Plumb came in with the tying run when Katie Tobin (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) reached on an infield error. The Bears had the go ahead run on third base with just one out in the frame but back-to-back pop ups ended the inning.
BSU had a runner advance to third in the eighth when Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) reached on an error, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a throwing error with two outs. The Falcons escaped by getting a flyout to end the inning.
In the ninth, Plumb led with a single to center and was sacrificed to second by Tobin but was caught trying to steal.
Fitchburg State opened a 1-0 lead in the firsts as Molly Grass (Rockland, Mass.) singled, went to second on a groundout and to third on a single to center by Dana Cisowski (Torrington, Conn.). A one-out single up the middle by Jessica Mueller (Fitchburg, Mass.) brought in the run.
The lead went to 2-0 in the second as Burns singled up the middle, was sacrificed to second by Ella Marshall (Gloucester, Mass.), went to third on a single up the middle by Pogorek and scored on a Grass fielder's choice.
Plumb, Fitzgerald and Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) had two hits each for BSU, which had seven hits.
Grass, Cisowski, Burns and Pogorek had two hits apiece for Fitchburg State, which had 10 hits and made four errors.
Winning pitcher Sarah Cahill (Mansfield, Mass.) went the distance and struck out six. Madelyn Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) took the loss for BSU, striking out four.
Game Two: Fitchburg State 4, Bridgewater State 0
The Falcons scored all the runs in the opening three innings with a run in the first, two in the second and one in the third.
With two outs in the first, Cisowski singled to left, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single to center by Mueller.
In the second, Adria McKenzie (Lowell, Mass.) reached on an error, went to second on a groundout, to third on a single by Marshall and scored on an error. A two-out double to center by Grass brought in Marshall.
The Falcons scored in the third when Cisowski singled up the middle, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout. She came home on a single to right center by Isabella Sousa (Charlton, Mass.).
The Bears had at least one runner on in each inning but left nine on base.
BSU loaded the bases with one out in the sixth but failed to score and had a runner at third in the fourth inning.
Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) went 3-for-4 and Tobin was 2-for-3 as they combined for five of BSU's eight hits. Cisowski had two hits to lead the Falcons.
Winning pitcher Mary Kate Moreau (Berkley, Mass.) struck out two while McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) took the loss, scattering nine hits in six innings with two strikeouts.
Notes: Before today's two setbacks, Bridgewater had won 12 of the last 13 meetings of the two teams...The Bears are now 73-13 versus the Falcons since 1984.