By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team opened its home schedule by dropping a doubleheader Tuesday.

The Bears lost to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 8-0 and 7-2, at Alumni Park after putting together a five-game winning streak.

The second game was halted in the sixth inning due to darkness.

BSU (6-4) had gone 6-2 during its spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., which ended last Friday.

The Corsairs (10-2) are on a seven-game winning streak. They were 8-2 during a trip to Kissimmee, Fla.

BSU was outhit, 24-10, in the doubleheader, getting five hits in each game.

Game One: UMass Dartmouth 8, Bridgewater State 0

Freshman Edy Crawford (Exeter, N.H.) improved to 5-1 by pitching a five-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks.

The Bears were held to a seventh-inning double by sophomore Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.) and singles by senior Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) in the first, junior Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) in the fourth, senior Amelia Blake (Raynham, Mass.) in the fifth, and sophomore Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) in the seventh.

The Corsairs took a 2-0 lead in the first inning with junior RaeLynn Perregaux (Torrington, Conn.) producing a run with a sacrifice fly and senior Larissa Piessens (Windham, N.H.) scoring on a groundout.

The advantage went to 5-0 in the second on RBI singles by senior Jillian Walsh (Warwick, R.I.) and junior Emma Talpey (Bridgewater, Mass.) and a sacrifice fly by Piessens.

UMass Dartmouth added a single run in the fourth on a two-out RBI hit through the right side by Talpey and made it 7-0 in the fifth, taking advantage of two infield errors.

The final run came in the seventh when Piessens doubled to center and scoring on a throwing error.

Losing pitcher McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) fell to 3-1. The senior had three strikeouts.

Talpey, Piessens, Walsh and sophomore Olivia Ali (Wrentham, Mass.) had two hits each for the Corsairs, who finished with 11.

Game Two: UMass Dartmouth 7, Bridgewater State 2

The Corsairs broke open a close game by scoring five times on six hits in the fifth inning.

UMass Dartmouth took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single through the left side by winning pitcher Lily Routhier (Attleboro, Mass.), scoring Talpey, who had singled and advanced on a single by junior Lena Tsonis (New Bedford, Mass.).

BSU tied it in the bottom of the inning when Schaefer tripled to right-center field and scored on a single to right-center by Lynch.

The Corsairs went up, 2-1, in the second when Matos doubled down the line in left, was sacrificed to third by Walsh and scored on a groundout by Talpey.

UMass Dartmouth pulled away in the fifth as junior Jessica Keefe (Weymouoth, Mass.) doubled to left-center, stole third and scored on a single by sophomore Liv Matos (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) for a 3-1 lead.

Walsh singled up the middle and Talpey had a bunt single.

Perregaux doubled in a pair of runs for a 5-1 edge and Routhier added a two-out, two-run double to left-center.

The Bears made it 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth when graduate student Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) drew a two-out walk and scored on a triple down the left-field line by Ansell.

Routhier improved to 5-0, allowing five hits with two strikeouts in 4 2-3 innings.

Losing pitcher Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.) fell to 2-3, pitching five innings.

Talpey had three hits for the Corsairs while Routhier, Matos and Perregaux had two each. Ansell had two of BSU's five hits.

The Bears are idle until Wednesday, March 26 when they host Bates College in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.

UMass Dartmouth will host Wheaton College in a twinbill on Friday at 3 p.m.