BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Rhode Island College softball team swept a non-conference doubleheader with Bridgewater State University on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Park. RIC won the first game, 4-2, and completed the sweep with a come-from-behind 9-5 victory in the nightcap.
The Anchorwomen improve to 12-8 on the season with the pair of wins, while the host Bears fall to 6-15.
Game One
Senior Briana Gough (West Warwick, R.I.) went the distance in the circle and helped her own cause with an RBI double to lead the Anchorwomen to a 4-2 victory in the opener.
Gough (7-4) allowed two runs on three hits over seven innings with a pair of walks and two strikeouts. She retired 12 of the first 14 batters she faced.
RIC got on the board with a run in the top of the first inning. Senior Cristin Chiaverini (Pawtucket, R.I.) singled with one out, moved to second on a walk and scored on Gough's RBI double.
The Anchorwomen added a run in the third to extend their lead to 2-0. Senior Emma Simmons (Saunderstown, R.I.) singled to lead off the frame, stole second and third, and raced home on freshman Marissa Cushman's (Cranston. R.I.) sacrifice fly.
The visitors tacked on two more runs in the fourth as they took advantage of a pair of BSU miscues. Freshman Katrina Kazen (Warwick, R.I.) reached on an error with one out and then came all the way around to score from first when junior Kelsey Burgess (North Providence, R.I.) lined a base hit into centerfield that got past the Bears' outfielder and rolled all the way to the fence. Junior Shaelyn DaSilveira (Seekonk, Mass.) followed with an RBI single up the middle to give the Anchorwomen a 4-0 advantage.
BSU senior Jenny Heller (Taunton, Mass.) broke up Gough's no-hit and shutout bid in the bottom of the fifth as she lined a shot over the left field fence and off the scoreboard to cut the deficit to 4-1. The home run marked Heller's second of the season and fifth of her career.
The Bears cut the deficit to 4-2 with a run in bottom of the seventh as Heller worked a one-out walk, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on freshman Alexandra Taylor's (Hebron, Conn.) RBI double to left. With tying run at the plate, Gough got a big strikeout to end the game.
Chiaverini went 3-for-4 with a run scored to pace RIC's eight-hit attack. DaSilveria also had multiple hits for the Anchorwomen as she was 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
Heller led the BSU offense as she homered, walked, advanced a runner with a sacrifice bunt and scored both of the Bears' runs.
Hatch gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits over four innings in the setback for Bridgewater State. Hatch (0-3) walked one and fanned three. Junior Natalie Sorrenti (Bridgewater, Mass.) worked three scoreless innings of relief for the Bears. Sorrenti scattered three hits and struck out three.
Game Two
RIC rallied for nine runs over the final two innings, including a six-run seventh, as the Anchormen completed the sweep with a 9-5 victory in game two.
Chiaverini went 3-for-4 with a run and four RBI including a clutch three-run double in the decisive seventh inning.
Senior Erica Fleming (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) went the distance in the circle for the Anchorwomen to pick up her fourth win of the season. Fleming (4-2) gave up five runs on ten hits with two walks and three strikeouts. She allowed the five runs over the first two innings, but managed to keep the Bears off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Bridgewater State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on three consecutive doubles by junior Samantha Mulcahy (Taunton, Mass.), senior Courtney Gouveia (Taunton, Mass.) and freshman Megan Sharon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) with nobody out. Fleming avoided any further damage by retiring each of the next three batters.
The Bears pushed across three runs in the second to extend the lead to 5-0. Back-to-to-back base hits by Taylor and senior Mackenzie Holt (Gilroy, Calif.) to open the frame put runners on first and second. After a strikeout, Mulcahy lined a double into center to plate Taylor. Gouveia followed with a sacrifice fly bringing home Holt from third and Sharon lined an RBI single into right to score Mulcahy with the third run of the inning.
RIC got on the board with three unearned runs in the sixth. Sophomore Erica Fluskey (Trumbull, Conn.) and Chiaverini rapped RBI singles in the frame while Simmons plated a run with a sacrifice fly.
BSU starter Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) was in the circle for all 21 outs in the game, but did not factor in the decision. Reichert, who worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth, allowed six unearned runs on ten hits over seven innings with three walks and two strikeouts. She pitched the first six innings, did not start the seventh but re-entered the game.
In the seventh, the Anchorwomen loaded the bases with nobody out on a pair of hits and a walk off BSU freshman reliever Katherine Ryan (Mendon, Mass.). Reichert re-entered the game in the circle and induced a ground ball to third, but the ball was mishandle allowing a run to score. A fielder's choice ground out to short tied the game at 5-5. Two batters later, an infield single by Simmons reloaded the bases with two outs. Chiaverini then rifled a bases clearing double down the left field line to give the visitors the lead. Cushman followed with an RBI double to cap off the six-run seventh and make it a 9-5 game.
Simmons (2-for-4, R, RBI), Cushman (2-for-3, BB, 2B, RBI) and sophomore Amber Wainwright (Taunton, Mass.) also finished with multiple hits for RIC in game two. Wainwright singled twice and walked in five plate appearances. The Anchorwomen banged out 12 hits in the nightcap.
Mulcahy went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs and an RBI to highlight Bridgewater's ten-hit attack. Sharon (2-for-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI) and Taylor (2-for-4, run) also recorded multiple hits for the Bears.
In upcoming action, the Bears travel to Mass. Maritime Academy on Tuesday afternoon for a 3:30 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader with the Buccaneers. The Anchorwomen entertain Worcester State University in a non-conference twinbill on Thursday afternoon with game one getting underway at four o'clock.