Third Seeded Salem State, Fourth Seeded Westfield State To Play For 2012 MASCAC Softball Championship
Third-seeded Salem State and fourth-seeded Wesfield State will play for the 2012 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championship Sunday afternoon, as the Vikings and Owls advanced to the title contest with respective semi-final round victories over Bridgewater State Saturday at Rockwood Park in Worcester, Mass.
Click here for Worcester State-Salem State Box Score
Click here for Bridgewater State-Westfield State Box Score
Click here for Bridgewater State-Salem State Box Score
Courtesy Worcester State Sports Information
Salem State 7, Worcester State 1
Worcester, MA --- Senior Kaitlyn
Fanning (E. Boston, MA/St. Mary’s) fanned eight in a complete
game victory to help propel #3 Salem State to a 7-1 triumph over
top-seeded Worcester State in the losers bracket of the MASCAC
Softball Tournament semifinals this afternoon at Rockwood Park.
With the win the Vikings improve to 30-12 and move to the semifinal
elimination game at 4 PM. They will take on the victor of the
winner’s bracket game at 2 PM between #2 Bridgewater State
and fourth-seeded Westfield State.
In the setback, the Lancers have been eliminated from the
tournament and they fall to 21-19 overall. The Blue and Gold await
word on a possible ECAC Division III Softball Tournament bid on
selection Monday.
Salem State broke a scoreless game in the top of the fourth on an
RBI double to left by junior Christina Cipriani (Peabody, MA).
Worcester State tied the score 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth as
they juiced the bases with two outs. Junior Aimee Lamoureux (E.
Brookfield, MA) drew a walk to equalize the game, but Fanning ended
the threat with a strikeout to get out of the jam.
SSU promptly answered in the top of the sixth by plating an
unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Cipriani to make the score
2-1.
After Fanning tossed a scoreless sixth, the Vikings put the game
away with a five-run seventh highlighted by run producing singles
by senior Gabbie Vitale (Danvers, MA) and junior Alyssa Bryan
(Stoneham, MA).
Freshman Jenn Toussaint (Reading, MA) also blasted her
MASCAC-leading 10th homer of the season with a two-run leftfield
shot to cap off the scoring for the Vikings.
The Lancers went 1-2-3 in the seventh as Fanning would earn the
victory to improve her record to 11-6. Fanning yielded five hits
and issued four walks.
Junior Hannah Everson (Methuen, MA) was tagged with the setback as
she allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits to go with three
walks and a pair of strikeouts.
Byran, Cipriani and senior Michelle Grifoni (Peabody, MA) all
finished with two base-knocks each while Bryan crossed home plate
twice.
Worcester State had a frustrating day at the plate with no
multi-hitters. WSU stranded eight in total and a trio of runners in
scoring position.
Westfield State 4, Bridgewater State 0
Worcester, MA --- Senior Madeline
Tomich (Alford, MA) hurled a six-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts as
she helped lead #4 Westfield State to a 4-0 triumph over #2
Bridgewater State in the winners bracket semifinals of the 2012
MASCAC Softball tournament this afternoon at Rockwood Park.
The Owls (21-18) advance to tomorrow’s title game which will
be contested at 12 PM at Worcester State’s Rockwood Park. The
Bears (29-12) will duke it out with Salem State in the elimination
game of the semifinals later today at 4:30.
Westfield State opened the game with the 3-0 advantage as the Owls
touched up BSU starter Meghan Dunn (Colchester, CT) for a trio of
runs.
Dunn yielded two singles and a walk to load the bases before she
was lifted for sophomore Amber White (Middleboro, MA) who gave up a
two-run single to freshman Vicki Hill (W. Springfield, MA) and
another RBI safety to third-year Brittany Dussault (Chicopee, MA)
before ending the frame on a strikeout.
Bridgewater State would respond and make Tomich work over the next
three innings, but they would leave the bases loaded in both the
second and third innings.
Tomich then settled down and set down nine of her next ten batters
with five coming by way of strikeout into the final frame.
White matched her opponent with five straight zero innings as she
would retire 13 of 19 until the seventh.
Westfield State scored its fourth run on the first career homer by
senior Lisa Policelli (Tewksbury, MA) on a solo jack to left in the
seventh.
The Bears made one final stand by juicing the bases for the third
time of the contest in the bottom of the seventh, but the rally
would ultimately fall short as Tomich pitched herself out of the
jam with a punch out to end the game.
Tomich (12-8) walked four in her 16th complete game and seventh
shutout of the season. Dunn (13-7) was tagged with the setback for
allowing the first runs of the contest to score.
Sophomore Bri Eichstaedt (Southampton, MA) was 2-fo-2 for the Owls
while junior Jordan McDermott (E. Bridgewater, MA) and second-year
Jasmyn McCone (Taunton, MA) both had two safeties each for the
Bears.
Bridgewater State led in hits, 7-6, and they would strand 11 on
base for the game – eight in scoring position.
Salem State 7, Bridgewater State 5
Worcester, MA --- Salem State
sophomore Paige Flemming (Methuen, MA) went 2-for-3 with a
three-run triple as she helped propel the #3 seeded Vikings to a
7-5 triumph over second-seeded Bridgewater State in the elimination
game of the MASCAC softball tournament semifinals this afternoon at
Rockwood Park.
Salem State (31-11) moves on to play #4 Westfield State in the
MASCAC Championship game on Sunday at 12 PM. The Bears end
their league tournament run and season with a 29-13
record.
The Owls had previously defeated Bridgewater State, 4-0, earlier in
the day to move on the title game.
The Bears grabbed the early 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the
first inning. With the bases loaded, sophomore Jasmyn McCone
(Taunton, MA) scored after senior Penny King (Hanover, MA) got
plunked in the shin. In BSU’s next at-bat, junior
Jordan McDermott (E. Bridgewater, MA), hit a RBI-single to left
field to score classmate Brianna Strecker (Waterford, CT).
The Vikings (31-11) responded in the top of the second frame.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Flemming ripped a liner in the
right-center gap that scored junior teammates Alyssa Bryan
(Stoneham, MA), Christina Cipriani (Peabody, MA) and freshman Jenn
Toussaint (Reading, MA) to give SSU the 3-2 edge.
However, Bridgewater State sophomore Amber White (Middleboro, MA)
was able to retire the next three batters in order to end Salem
State’s rally.
BSU knotted the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the third as
fourth-year Stephanie Burns (N. Attleboro, MA) hit an infield
RBI-single back to the pitcher to plate King.
In the top half of the fourth inning, Salem pushed ahead 4-3 as
Cipriani scored an unearned run on an errant throw by the
shortstop.
The Vikings would tack on three key insurance runs in the top of
the seventh inning for the 7-3 advantage.
With one out, sophomore Amanda Flower (Reading, MA) and senior
Michelle Grifoni (Peabody, MA) slammed back-to-back doubles - with
Flower scoring on Grifoni’s – to begin the surge.
Fourth-year Gabbie Vitale (Danvers, MA) was issued a free pass in
the next at-bat to put runners on first and second. The
ensuing batter, junior Lauren Garchinsky (Saugus, MA) hit a
grounder back to the pitcher who overthrew the third baseman which
allowed Grifoni to score. Vitale later crossed the plate on a
groundout-RBI by Bryan.
The Bears tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the seventh,
but to no avail. After two consecutive safeties by Strecker
and junior Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, MA), King hit a double down the
left field line to score both runners and cut the deficit to
7-5.
Bryan was then lifted in favor of senior Katelynn Fanning (E.
Boston, MA) who came in and retired the next three batters in order
– with two coming by way of strikeout – for her second
save of the season to help clinch the victory for the Vikings.
Bryan (16-4) picked up the win as she pitched six-plus innings and
scattered five hits and five earned runs. She had two
punch-outs and issued five free passes. Fanning picked up her
second save of the season with her one perfect inning of
relief.
White (16-6) was dealt with the loss as she went seven innings and
allowed seven runs (five earned) and nine base-knocks. She
had one walk and fanned two batters.
In addition to Fleming, Flower and Toussaint had multi-hit games
for the Vikings while Strecker and McDermott each had two hits
apiece for Bridgewater State. Strecker went 2-for-4 with a
pair of runs scored in the loss.
Salem State held the slight 9-8 edge in the hitting department
while the Bears left nine runners (five in scoring position) on
base to SSU’s four.
