Framingham State defeated UMass Boston, 8-4 on Sunday afternoon to remain alive in the NCAA Softball Tournament Cambridge Regional before falling to Tufts, 6-0 later in the afternoon.

Game One: Box Score

Cambridge, Mass. – The Framingham State University softball team stayed alive in the 2018 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament with an 8-4 win over UMass-Boston in an elimination game on day two of the Cambridge Regional.

With the win, Framingham State improved to 25-16 and will play No. 18 Tufts in another elimination game at 2:30 p.m., while UMass-Boston sees its season come to a close with a record of 17-25.

Framingham State starter Kelsi Gunarathne (Providence, RI) improved to 16-7 in the circle for the Rams as she went seven innings and allowed five hits, four runs (three earned), three walks and struck out three to keep their season alive, while Jess Greenspan (12-16) took the loss for UMass-Boston on 2.2 innings, ten hits, eight runs (three earned), two walks and one strikeout.

Offensively, the Rams got two RBI apiece from sophomore Mycala Moody (North Attleboro, Mass.), freshman Grace Caughey (Mendon, Mass.) and classmate Camille Desrochers (Westford, Mass.), while senior Dayna Marchant (East Bridgewater, Mass.) went 3-for-4 with one run and an RBI at the top of Framingham State's lineup.

Five different student-athletes from UMass-Boston posted one hit highlighted by a two-RBI performance by Alyssa Tulley.

The Beacons struck for the game's first run in the top of the first inning when Gigi Braga knocked in Kelly Danahy on a two-out bases loaded infield single. Danahy reached first on an error, moved to second when Roxanne Vento was hit by a pitch and to third after Taylor Pawlina reached on an error.

Framingham State waited until the bottom of the second to answer, but the Rams answered in a big way with a five-run inning. With two outs, Desrochers drove in both sophomore Kayley Reese and senior Anna Dziok (Southampton, Mass.) on a single to center and then scored herself on a single through the right side by Moody. After senior Megan Downing (Hanson, Mass.) walked, Caughey singled up the middle to bring home Marchant and Moody to make the score 5-1.

The Rams added three more in the bottom of the third to put the game out of reach and up their advantage to seven, 8-1. With runners on second and third, Marchant lined an RBI single to right which scored junior Lauren Salisbury (Cranston, RI). Sophomore Kirsten Dick (Tewksbuy, Mass.) then scored on a fielder's choice and Downing drove in Desrochers on a single through the left side for the Rams' eighth run of the game.

UMass-Boston would get three back in the top of the fifth on an RBI single to center by Pawlina and a two-run double down the left field line to cut the deficit to four, 8-4. However, Gunarathne set down the Beacons 1-2-3 in both the top of the sixth and the top of the seventh to secure the win for the Rams and move them into a second elimination game against Tufts later this afternoon.

Game Two: Box Score

Cambridge, Mass. – The Framingham State University softball team saw their season come to a close this afternoon with a 6-0 loss to #18 Tufts University in the NCAA Division III Tournament at the Cambridge Regional.

Seniors Raven Fournier and Sarah Finnigan both had two RBIs to highlight a five-run third inning for Tufts as the advanced to the championship round Regional.

Tufts (31-9) will face the host MIT Engineers in the championship round on Monday. The Jumbos, who lost 2-1 in 14 innings against MIT earlier on Sunday in the continuation of the winner's bracket game, will have to defeat them twice on Monday in order to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Framingham State, led by two hits from senior Dayna Marchant (East Bridgewater, Mass.) at the top of the order today, finished its year at 25-17.

Freshman starter Kristina Haghdan scattered five hits and five walks over six innings for the Jumbos. She combined on the shutout with senior Raina Galbiati.

Rams' starter junior Kelsi Gunarathne (Providence, RI) stranded three Jumbos on base in the first two innings before Tufts rallied in the third. They sent 10 to the plate and had seven hits while building a 5-0 lead. Fournier hit a two-run double and Finnigan singled up the middle scoring two. Sophomore Casey Maggiore also had an RBI single in the frame.

Framingham State loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third, but a strikeout and a line-drive double-play for the Jumbos kept the Rams from scoring.

Then in the fourth, FSU's freshman Grace Caughey (Mendoon, Mass.) drove the ball to right field, but was thrown out at third trying to stretch it to a triple. Junior Kayla Finacchiaro (Natick, Mass.) and senior Anna Dziok (Southampton, Mass,) followed with singles and junior Lauren Salisbury(Cranston, RI) walked to load the bases again with one out. However, a 1-2-3 double-play turned by Tufts again kept the Rams off the scoreboard.

The Jumbos would add a run in the sixth with the aid of a Framingham error and a double-steal. Senior Sara Willner-Giwerc scored on a ground out by Galbiati.

Stevens and Finnighan both had two hits as Tufts finished with 10. Willner-Giwerc scored twice. Haghdan improved to 13-3 in the pitcher's circle.

Senior Jessica Pietersen (Norton, Mass.) was strong in relief for the Rams, giving up two hits and an unearned run in 4.1 innings.

Releases courtesy of Framingham State Sports Information