Game 1 - Bridgewater State/Salem State Box Score
Game 2 - MCLA/Worcester State Box Score
Game 3 - Salem State/Worcester State Box Score 

WORCESTER, Mass. -- MCLA and Salem State are set to face off in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Softball Tournament Championship after winning their respective semifinals contests on Saturday.

Salem State 8, Bridgewater State 2 

In the first game of the day, Salem State freshman Molly McLean (Arlington, MA) went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and classmate Rachel Cyr (Amesbury, MA) hurled seven strong innings to help pace the fourth-seeded Vikings to a 8-2 victory over #3 Bridgewater State in the first elimination game of the MASCAC Softball Tournament at Rockwood Park.

Salem State (21-16) moves to the second elimination game at 4 PM while the Bears end their campaign at 20-15. SSU takes on the winner of top-seeded

After the Vikings took the 1-0 lead on a fielding error by the shortstop in the top of the second, McLean doubled in classmate Marisa Sanchez (Framingham, MA) in the very next inning and then junior Rebecca Krigman (Malden, MA) put Salem State ahead by three on an RBI ground out.

McLean helped ballooned SSU margin to 6-0 by highlighting the top of the fourth with a two-bagger that scored a duo of runs.

Bridgewater State broke up the no-hit bid in the bottom of the fourth by pushing across a pair of tallies.

Sophomore Breanna Schaffer (Plainville, MA) scored on an infield miscue by the shortstop and then classmate Kelly McCarthy (Burlington, MA) tacked on the second run with an RBI single to centerfield.

With the 6-2 score on the board in left centerfield, Cyr dug deep and she hurled two perfect frames to keep the Bears off the board.

The Vikings used the change in momentum to put the game away with two runs in the top of the seventh. Freshman Kristina Gallagher (Whittier, MA) scampered home on a wild pitch and classmate Desiree Moreno (Ashburnham, MA) rapped out a run scoring solo knock up the middle.

Cyr permitted a lead-off double to sophomore Jackie Welch (Hubbardston, MA) to start off the last of the seventh, but she tossed a scoreless frame to help Salem Sate stave off elimination. Cyr (5-4) allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits to go with one walk and she did not strike out a batter.

Sophomore Kathleen Bailey (Bayport, NY) absorbed the loss for Bridgewater State. Baily (4-5) went the first 2 1/3 stanzas yielding three runs (two earned) on two hits in addition to one free pass and a strikeout.

The Vikings doubled up their opponents, 8-4, on base-knocks as sophomore Jess Raymond (Peabody, MA) had two singles and McLean added a pair of doubles. Sanchez crossed the plate twice. 

MCLA 8, Worcester State 4 10 innings

MCLA junior Amanda Meczywor (Adams, MA) and classmate Rachel Quackenbush (Hoosick Falls, NY) both connected on two-run homers in the top of the tenth to help propel the second-seeded Trailblazers to an 8-4 victory in ten innings over Worcester State in the winners bracket game of the MASCAC Tournament semifinals at Rockwood Park.

With the victory, MCLA (14-20) moves to the championship game on Sunday at 11 AM tomorrow. The Lancers (22-14) try to stay alive in the tournament when they take on fourth-seeded Salem State in an elimination game at 5 PM today.

The contest marked the second straight extra-inning affair for the Trailblazers who outlasted #3 Bridgewater State, 4-3, in 15 frames yesterday in North Adams.

Entering the tenth tied up 3-3 with the international tie-breaker in play and junior Angelica Perfido (Whately, MA) just 60 feet away, junior Julie Watson (Cold Spring Harbor, NY) swung at the third strike, but she advanced to first on a pitch that got by the catcher as Perfido came in for the go ahead score.

Meczywor and Quackenbush tacked on some insurance by knocked out a pair of two-run homers to put the Trailblazers up 8-3 entering the last of the tenth. 

The Lancers attempted a rally as sophomore Rachel Couto (Chelmsford, MA) drove in classmate Courtney Salisbury (Cranston, RI) to start things off. WSU soon loaded the bases and brought the tying run in the form of senior Taylor Hanley (Wilmington, MA).

With two outs in the frame, Quackenbush bore down on her final hitter as she retired Hanley on a swinging strikeout to end the contest. 

It was a scoreless game until the top of the fourth when MCLA scored twice with the bases loaded. Junior Angelica Perfido (Whately, MA) plated classmate Abigail Lucas (Braintree, MA) and then Perfido came around to score on a clean single to left by Meczywor.

Worcester State sliced the deficit in half with two outs in the fourth, taking advantage of a misplayed ball in the infield by the shortstop for the 2-1 advantage as Couto touched home on the play.

The Trailblazers answered in the very next frame and added a key insurance run to go ahead by two when Perfido delivered an RBI single to score Quackenbush.

The Lancers came back and set-up a 3-3 stalemate with two unearned tallies in the bottom of the fifth.

Sophomore Hayley Terry (N. Dighton, MA) hit a shallow fly ball to the gap in right fielder, but it was misplayed allowing Salisbury to come home on the play. Couto followed by knocking home the equalizer on a single to centerfield, bringing in Terry.

Quackenbush and sophomore Kayla Humphrey (Wallingford, CT) pumped out zeros for three scoreless frames until the top of the tenth.

In the victory, Quackenbush (9-8) tossed 6 1/3 innings permitting three unearned runs on five hits to go with six strikeouts and a trio of free passes. She went over the century mark by fanning the final batter to end the game.

Humphrey (4-3) hurled the final six frames giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits while she walked three and recorded one punch out.

Salem State led in the hitting column, 14-9, as Meczywor paced the effort going 3-for-5 with a trio of RBIs. Quackenbush, Lucas, Perfido and Baily also had two base-knocks each. 

Salem State 4, Worcester State 2 8 innings

Salem State freshman Jen Crovo (Melrose, MA) and classmate Desiree Moreno (Ashburnham, MA) both recorded two hits each as they both helped power the fourth-seeded Vikings to a 4-2 triumph over top-seeded Worcester State in the final game of the MASCAC Tournament semifinals.

Salem State (22-16) moves ahead to the MASCAC title game where they take on second-seeded MCLA at 11 AM. Should the Vikings defeat the Trailblazers, they will play a winner take all contest 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

The Lancers end their season at 22-15 after making their sixth consecutive appearance in the MASCAC Softball Tournament.

Worcester State took over the early 1-0 edge in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Hayley Terry (N. Dighton, MA) to help score junior Sara Pelletier (Leominster, MA), who led off the contest with a single and she moved to second on a fielding error by the centerfielder.

Salem State answered in the top of the second as the visitors plated a pair of scores. Taking advantage of a dropped pop-up by the catcher, Crovo drove in freshman Courtney Kilgore (Malden, MA) and Moreno on a two-run single to the gap in left center.

With the 2-1 margin in favor of SSU, freshman Megan Black (Winchendon, MA) and junior Meghan Rich (Chelmsford, MA) combined for two scoreless stanzas until the Lancers knotted up the game in the fifth when sophomore Courtney Salisbury (Cranston, RI) rapped out a two-out RBI single to score senior Alyssa Hill (Erving, MA).

In extra innings to start off the eighth, junior Rebecca Krigman (Malden, MA) traded places with senior Jenn Touissaint (Reading, MA) for the go-ahead tally before Moreno tacked on some insurance with a long fly ball to score an unearned tally.

The Lancers threatened in the last of the eighth, the hosts had the bases juiced and just one out on the scoreboard, but Black spun an ending double play to help lift her squad to the conference tournament championship game.

Just one day removed from being taken out of the game early for a no decision against Worcester State in the first game of the quarterfinals, Black put the Vikings on her back by allowing two earned runs over eight innings of work while she scattered eight hits and permitted two walks.

Rich (15-3) absorbed the loss as she went eight innings surrendering four runs (three earned) on nine hits to go with two strikeouts without a free pass.

The SSU offense outhit their counterparts, 9-8, as the multi-hitters for the Lancers were Pelletier (2-for-4), Salisbury (2-for-3) and Couto (2-for-4).

Courtesy of Worcester State Sports Information