Falcons Swept By Bears In MASCAC Twin Bill

Grass sets program record with 14^th career Homerun in game one 

Bridgewater, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University softball team dropped a pair of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contests to the Bears of Bridgewater State this afternoon by the scores of 7-3 and 9-3 from Alumni Park.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Bridgewater State 7 (GM1)

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Bridgewater State 9 (GM 2)

Records: Fitchburg State (11-20, 4-6 MASCAC) I Bridgewater State (9-24-1, 6-4 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Game One

Bridgewater State grabbed a 2-0 margin in the bottom of the first as senior Madison Dana (Lynn, Mass.) singled and scored on an RBI triple off the bat of junior Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) before sophomore Amelia Blake (Raynham, Mass.) doubled down the right field line to drive in Jolly.

Fitchburg State trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the top of the fifth as junior Dana Cisowski (Torrington, Conn.) singled to center and came around to score on an RBI double to right field by senior Molly Grass (Rockland, Mass.).

The Bears pushed the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the sixth with senior Olivia Silva (Somerset, Mass.) registering an RBI single that scored Jolly, while sophomore Riley Fitzgerald (Swansea, Mass.) laced a two-run single up the middle.

The Green and Gold responded in the top half of the seventh when senior Madison Mantegani (Bellingham, Mass.) singled on a bunt before Grass followed with a two-run blast to right center but that's as close as the Falcons would get as the Bears held on for the 7-3, game one victory.

Inside the Numbers

• Grass paced the Falcons, going 2-for-4 with a double, home run, one run scored and three RBI
• Senior Sarah Cahill (Mansfield, Mass.) finished 2-for-3 for the Green and Gold
• Cahill took the loss for Fitchburg State, allowing seven runs (5 earned) on ten hits and five K's in 5.2 innings of work
• For the Bears, Fitzgerald went 1-for-1 with two RBI
• Junior Madely Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) earned the win for Bridgewater State, giving up one run on five hits and four strikeouts over 4.2 innings pitched
• Senior Molly Grass set the program record with her 14th career home run for the Green and Gold

Game Two

Bridgewater State grabbed a 1-0 edge in the bottom of the third as Silva tripled down the right field line and scored on a fielding error. Fitchburg State knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth when Mantegani singled through the left side, advanced to second and third on a Cisowski single and Grass walk before sophomore Julia Gauvin (Granby, Mass.) brought in Mantegani with a sacrifice fly to right field.

The Bears regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth with sophomore Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) reaching with a leadoff single, moved to third on sacrifice bunt and fielding miscue, while Dana brought in Marcotte with a sacrifice fly before Jolly and Silva added RBI singles for the 4-1 advantage.

The Green and Gold answered back in the top of the fifth as Cisowski and Grass walked and Gauvin reached on a fielders' choice to load the bases, while sophomore Kiara Bigeau (Clinton, Mass.) notched a sacrifice fly to drive in Cisowski before Cahill added an RBI single to right to cut the deficit to 4-3.

Bridgewater State answered back in the bottom of the fifth when junior Molly Thibeaudeau (Lincoln, R.I.) delivered a bases clearing double, scoring Fitzgerald, Silva and sophomore Alicia Habib (Haverhill, Mass.) to push the lead to 7-3.

The hosts secured the victory in the following frame with Silva tripling down the right field line and crossing the plate on a fielding miscue, resulting in the 9-3, game two final.

Inside the Numbers

• 84th meeting between Fitchburg State and Bridgewater State on the softball field with the Falcons 10-74 all-time when taking on the Bears
• Mantegani went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Falcons
• Cisowski hit 2-of-3 with a run scored for the Green and Gold
• Junior Mary Kate Moreau (Berkley, Mass.) suffered the setback for Fitchburg State, yielding five runs (4 earned) on five hits and one K over 2.1 innings pitched
• For the Bears, Thibaudeau hit 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI
• Sophomore McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) picked up the win for Bridgewater State, giving up three runs on seven hits and one strikeout over 6.1 innings of work

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Wednesday as they host the Raiders of Rivier University for a non-conference twin bill, starting at 3:00PM.