Bracket

The Worcester State Lancers claimed the top spot in the 2018 MASCAC Softball Tournament after winning the regular season title. The tournament kicks off next Wednesday with first round action.

Facing off in the first round Wednesday are #3 Westfield State hosting #6 Fitchburg State at 3:30 pm then #4 Bridgewater State entertaining #5 Salem State at 4 pm. Second seed Framingham State then will host the winner of Westfield State/Fitchburg State on Friday at 4 while top seed Worcester State will face the winner of Bridgewater State/Salem State at 5 pm.

The games will continue on Saturday at Worcester State beginning at 11 am with the semifinals and then the championship on Sunday with the winner earning the MASCAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. 

Worcester State won the regular season title and a first round bye with a 12-2 record during MASCAC play. Sydney Despres led the conference in batting average (.581)), doubles (11), on-base percentage (.619), slugging percentage (.886) and runs scored (46). She also collected the second-most home runs (7) and third-best RBI total (31). 

Earning the other first round bye in the second spot is Framingham State. The Rams were 10-4 during league action. Reigning MASCAC Pitcher of the Year Kelsi Gunarathne ended the regular season first in wins (12), total strikeouts (96) and strikeouts per game (6.18). She also was second in ERA (1.93) and had the second lowest opponent batting average (.209). 

Westfield State lands the third seed after finishing 9-5 during the conference schedule. Maddy Atkocaitis led the Owls with a .385 batting average, .681 slugging percentage while netting nine doubles, six triples, two home runs, 10 walks, 21 RBI and 28 runs scored. 

Sitting in the fourth slot is Bridgewater State. The Bears were also 9-5 at the conclusion of the league season. Natalie Sorrenti was solid in the circle, leading the conference in ERA (1.66), third in wins (8), batting average against (.215) and shutouts (2). She had 36 strikeouts with nine complete games. 

Closing out this year's softball tournament field is Salem State and Fitchburg State with the fifth and sixth seed, respectively. The Vikings were 7-7 during the league clip while the Falcons were 6-8. Leading the team was Jen Crovo who had a .393 batting average with 42 hits, including eight doubles and a triple. She also collected 36 RBI and 21 runs scored. For the Falcons, McKenzie Lambert ended the regular season with a .366 batting average, .624 slugging percentage plus eight doubles, three triples, four home runs, 23 RBI and 28 runs scored. 

During the 2017 MASCAC Softball Tournament, top seed Framingham State won the title game with a 5-4 victory over second seed Westfield State to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.