Click here for Bridgewater State-Fitchburg State box score

Click here for MCLA-Worcester State box score

Courtesy Bridgewater State Sports Information

Bridgewater State 3, Fitchburg State 2

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Bridgewater State University advanced to the winner’s bracket final of the 2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Softball Tournament as the top-seeded Bears downed #4 seed Fitchburg State University, 3-2, on Friday afternoon at by Alumni Park.

The Bears, who improve to 23-14 on the season, will take on number two seed MCLA tomorrow afternoon at 1:30.  MCLA edged Worcester State University, 1-0, in the other quarterfinal round matchup. The Falcons (19-21) will face Worcester in an elimination game tomorrow at 11:00 AM.  The remainder of the tournament takes place at Alumni Park.

BSU right-hander Meghan Dunn (Colchester, Conn.) earned her tenth win in the circle as she worked the first five innings.  Dunne (10-9) gave up just one run on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts.  Amber White (Middleboro, Mass.) picked up her first save of the season as she hurled the final two innings allowing a run on one hit while fanning two.

Bridgewater took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as the Bears loaded the bases with one out on singles by Jill Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.), Jessica Laudati (Berkley, Mass.) and Melissa Harmon (Shrewsbury, Mass.).  Meagan Pacheco (Somerset, Mass.) then reached on a fielder’s choice ground out to plate Welch with the first run of the game.

The Bears tacked on two more runs in the third with a two-out rally.  A Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, Mass.) base hit was followed by a Welch single to put runners on first and second.  Laudati then doubled to deep center field to plate both runners.

Fitchburg cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fifth.  Allison Page (Wakefield, Mass.) opened the frame with a base hit, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and score on an RBI double off the bat of Marissa Binnall (Fitchburg, Mass.)

The Falcons rallied in the seventh as Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.) led off with a triple into the right field corner.  After a foul out, Gemma came around to score when Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass.) reached on a fielder’s choice bunt.  White, however, stranded the runner on first by striking out the next batter and inducing a game-ending ground out to third.

Shaw, Welch and Laudati paced the Bears’ eight-hit attack with two hits apiece.

Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) suffered the loss in the circle for the Falcons as she went the distance.  Whiting (8-11) gave up three runs on eighth hits with a pair of punch-outs.

Courtesy MCLA Sports Information

MCLA 1, Worcester State 0

North Adams, MA-   The second seeded MCLA Trailblazers received a stellar pitching performance from Rachel Quackenbush while Megan Boyer’s solo home run in the fifth was the difference as the Trailblazers defeated the third seeded Worcester State Lancers 1-0 in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 MASCAC Softball Championship this afternoon at Zavattaro Athletics complex in North Adams.

With the victory, MCLA moves on to face the winner of top seeded Bridgewater State and 4th seeded Fitchburg State tomorrow at 1:30pm in Bridgewater.  The Lancers will face the loser of that contest at 11am, also in Bridgewater.

Boyer’s key blast came off a Hannah Everson fastball that easily cleared the fence in right field.  The home run was the senior’s third of the season.  MCLA had some other opportunities earlier in the contest, but couldn’t get a key hit against Everson.

Worcester would mount a rally in the seventh when Alex Kerr doubled with two outs.  She advanced to third on a throwing error, bringing Taylor Hanley to the plate.  Quackenbush would bear down and get Kerr swinging to end the game.

Quackenbush was outstanding from start to finish.  She allowed just one hit and struck out 8 Lancers.  Everson was almost as good surrendering just three hits and striking out 6 Trailblazers.

MCLA wasted a golden opportunity in the second inning to get to Everson.  Samantha Barbarotta led off with a bloop single into center field.  Tanelle Ciempa then sacrificed her over, but the bunt was misplayed placing runners at the corners for Boyer.  Ciempa promptly stole second base putting a pair in scoring position.  Worcester’s Hannah Everson would bear down though striking out Boyer and Sam Boyle before inducing a Rachel popout to end the the threat.

Worcester finally broke into the hit column with one out in the fifth on Taylor Hanley’s bloop single just out of the reach of Trailblazer shortstop Shelbi Clary.  Quackenbush would strand her though, as Kylene Pease grounded out to shortstop to end the rally.

Everson sent down the final six batters she faced, while Quackenbush retired seven in a row until Kerr’s double in the seventh. MCLA evens its record at 20-20 overall, while the Lancers fall to 23-16.