Softball Splits at Fitchburg State; Streak Snapped at 11
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
|
Fitchburg St. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
|
Fitchburg St. | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | X | 7 | 11 | 1 |
FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University softball team earned a split with the Mariners of Mitchell College in a non-conference doubleheader at the Donna-Lee Withington Field on Thursday afternoon. The Mariners took the opener 5-2 before Fitchburg State notched a 7-0 victory in the nightcap.
Fitchburg State (11-8 overall) returns to action on Saturday as it travels to Bridgewater State University for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. Mitchell (11-11 overall) will visit Newbury College for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
Game 1 - Mitchell 5, Fitchburg State 2
Mitchell posted five runs on 10 hits en route to its 11th straight win. Samantha DelConte went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI while Brittany Fiederlein and Danielle Autieri each went 2-for-4 with a double, one run scored and one run batted in.
Amanda Whitelaw paced the Falcons going 2-for-4 at the dish with a pair of singles, and Katelyn Fitzgerald added one hit and a RBI.
Mitchell opened the scoring in the top of the first as DelConte singled through the left side, moved to second a walk to Lindsey Romagnino and crossed the plate on a RBI double to left off the bat of Feiderlein for the 1-0 advantage.
The Mariners upped their lead in the top of the fourth when Autieri and Jenny Groman connected on back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. DelConte later drove in Autieri with a single to center, and both Groman and DelConte crossed the plate on a fielding miscue one batter later to make the score 4-0.
Fitchburg State broke its scoring silence in the home half of the fourth as Galen Kerr doubled to left, advanced to third on a ground out to short and scored on a single from Fitzgerald to cut the deficit to 4-1.
The Green and Gold cut the margin to two runs at 4-2 in the following innings when Kelsea LeBlanc reached on an obstruction call, moved to second and third on a steal and a base hit by Whitelaw, and came around to score on an RBI fielder's choice by Jessalynne Brown.
The visitors added an insurance run in the top of the seventh as Fiederlein doubled into the left-center field gap with two outs and crossed the plate on a double to right off the bat of Autieri.
In the circle, Fiederlein picked up her 10th win and allowed two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Fitchburg State's Brittany Whiting suffered the setback, giving up five runs (three earned) on 10 hits with a career-best 12 strikeouts.
Game 2 - Fitchburg State 7, Mitchell 0
Mitchell's winning streak came to an abrupt end in the nightcap as Fitchburg State scored four runs in the third inning to break the game open.
Fitchburg State received a strong pitching performance from Kerr, who gave up just four hits with seven punchouts and only one walk in the complete game effort. Fiederlein took the loss, yielding seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits with five strikeouts.
Following a scoreless first two innings, the Falcons erupted for four runs on five hits in the third. Marissa Gemma and Marissa Binnall both singled to open the frame before Brown blasted a three-run home run over the left field fence. Emily Comtois later drove in Kerr on a single to left for the 4-0 lead.
Fitchburg State upped its advantage to 6-0 in the fourth when LeBlanc singled to center, moved to second on a stolen base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and crossed the plate on a suicide squeeze bunt by Binnall, who later scored on a base knock to right from Kerr.
The Green and Gold capped the scoring in the bottom of the fifth as Whitelaw reached on a two-base throwing error, stole third and crossed the plate on a single through the right side off the bat of Fitzgerald, resulting in the 7-0 final.
At the plate, Brown sparked the Falcons attack, going 1-for-4 with a home run, one run scored and three runs batted in, while Binnall went 2-for-3 with one RBI, one stolen basé and a pair of runs scored. Kerr was also solid for Fitchburg State, going 2-for-4 with a triple, one RBI and one run scored.
DelConte continued her hot hitting in game two for Mitchell, finishing 1-for-2 with a single and a stolen base, while Romagnino, Groman and Shannon O'Neil collected one hit apiece.
