BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - The Worcester State University softball team picked up a loss and a tie on Thursday afternoon to open up Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference play on the road at Bridgewater State University.
With the results, Worcester State moves to 0-5-1 overall on the season, and 0-1-1 in MASCAC play.
Game 1 - Bridgewater State 7, Worcester State 5
Game one appeared destined to be a pitchers' duel until the bats came alive in the bottom of the third inning for Bridgewater State. An Emma Healy RBI double started off a three-run frame for the hosts. Worcester State responded quickly however when freshman Emily Bartlett (Lowell, Mass.) and graduate student Samantha Stake (Worcester, Mass.) crossed home plate on an error in the top of the fourth.
A Kerrin McLaughlin three-run home run in the bottom of the inning helped the Bears extend the lead to what would prove to be an insurmountable lead at 7-2.
After scoring an unearned run in the top of the fifth to push the score to 7-3, Worcester State pushed across two more on a Bartlett two-run single in the top of the seventh, but the comeback would fall just short.
Liv Larson (Marlborough, Mass.) took the loss for the Lancers in the circle, with two strikeouts in six innings pitched.
Game 2 - Worcester State 3, Bridgewater State 3 (8 innings)
Game two was forced to finish unsettled due to darkness, the first Worcester State softball game to finish in a tie in exactly five years, when Worcester State and Bowdoin ended in a 6-6 tie on March 25, 2016. The Lancers would go on to win the MASCAC Championship that season.
Worcester State drew first blood in the third inning when senior Ally Tocman (Shrewsbury, Mass.) scored on a throwing error when Grace Adams (Leominster, Mass.) stole second base. Bridgewater State would strike right back however, as a Megan Sharon two-run single put the hosts up 2-1.
The score was still 2-1 heading to the sixth, when Bartlett tied the score with an RBI triple. A batter later, Bartlett would touch home on a fielder's choice to put the Lancers on top 3-2.
The Lancers were unable to seal the deal however, as a safety squeeze in the bottom of the seventh from Olivia Silva knotted the game back up at 3-3 and forced extras.
Worcester State was unable to score in the top of the eighth, but escaped a major jam in the bottom of the frame. Bridgewater State loaded the bases with nobody out, but relief pitcher Jen Thorburn (Groton, Mass.) forced a pop-up, a strikeout, and a caught stealing on a wild pitch to draw the game to a close.
The two teams will meet again on Sunday afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader at Raymond Diamond. First pitch in game one is slated for 12 p.m.
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