FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team swept a pair of games against Nazareth College and Rockford University on Thursday at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, Florida.
Bridgewater earned a dramatic 5-4 win in eight innings over Nazareth and cruised to a 15-1 victory over Rockford in a game that was stopped after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. The Bears wrapped up their Florida trip with a 5-5 record.
Courtney Leddy drove in the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the eight inning as the Bears rallied from a three-run deficit to capture the 5-4 extra inning victory over Nazareth.
The Bears trailed 4-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but rallied for four runs capped off by Leddy's game-winning hit.
Bridgewater opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Jenny Heller singled with one out and Kristyna Flaherty followed with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, Samantha LoPilato rapped an RBI single plating Heller with the first run of the game.
The Golden Flyers tied the score at 1-1 with a run in the top of the sixth. Maureen Rogers led off the frame with an infield single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Miranda Maldonado, who pinch ran for Rogers, came around to score on an RBI double by Rachel Mertens.
The Bears had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh as they had runners at first and second with two outs. However, Nicole White got a big strikeout to end the threat and send the game into extra innings.
With the tie-breaker rule in effect, Mertens belted a three-run home run in the top of the eighth to put the Golden Flyers up 4-1.
The Bears, however, rallied in the home half of the eighth to win the game. With Kelly McCarthy on second to start the inning, Rebecca Uschmann reached on an error which allowed McCarthy to score. Following a sacrifice bunt, back-to-back singles by Flaherty and Tabitha Domeij plated Uschmann with the second run of the frame and cut the deficit to 4-3. After a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, LoPilato brought home Flahery with the tying run on an RBI groundout. Leddy then beat out an infield single as Domeij raced home from third with the winning run.
McCarthy went the distance in the circle to pick up the win as she gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
Leddy (2-for-5), LoPilato (2-for-4) and Tara McCann (2-for-4) finished with two hits apiece to highlight the BSU offense.
White suffered the loss for the Golden Flyers as she allowed five runs (three earned) on 12 hits and three walks while fanning four.
Mertens finished 2-for-4 at the plate and drove in three runs to lead the way offensively for Nazareth.
The BSU bats exploded for 15 runs and 18 hits in the 15-1 win over Rockford. The Bears scored early and often plating six runs in the top of the first inning highlighted by a grand slam by LoPilato. The home run marked the first of her career.
Bridgewater added a run in the second, three in the third and five in fifth.
McCann went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs and three RBI. Leddy also banged out three hits with a double in four at bats as she scored three runs and drove in two. Cassidy Morrow finished 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs, while Kacie Carvalho doubled twice and walked in three plate appearances, scored two runs and knocked in a pair.
McCarthy (4-2) went all five innings in the circle to record her fourth win of the season. She allowed just one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Lynn Blakeley-Snyder went 2-for-2 with a double and run scored, while Lisa Blakeley-Snyder finished 2-for-3 with an RBI to pace the Regents.
Rockford fell to 0-8 on the trip as the Regents have been outscored 105-25.
Abigail Wellwood gave up 14 runs (12 earned) on 16 hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings of work.
The Bears are off until Friday, March 18th when they travel to Clark University for a three o'clock non-conference doubleheader with the Cougars.