DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with UMass Dartmouth on Thursday afternoon at the UMD Softball Complex. Bridgewater State won the first game, 5-3, while UMass earned the split with a 3-2 victory in the nightcap.
The Bears see their record go to 16-19 on the season, while the host Corsairs are now 19-15.
Game One
The Bears rallied from a 3-0 deficit to score one run in the sixth inning and four in the seventh to pull out the 5-3 come-from-behind victory.
Freshman Kelley Reichert (Milford, Mass.) picked up the win in the circle for the Bears. Reichert gave up three runs on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Trailing 3-0 in the top of the sixth, back-to-back singles by freshman Megan Sharon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and senior Jenny Heller (Taunton, Mass.) as well as a UMass error put runners on the corners with one out. Heller then stole second and Sharon trotted home on an errant throw by the catcher.
In the seventh, a double by sophomore Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) followed by back-to-back walks to freshman Alexandra Taylor (Hebron, Conn.) and senior Mackenzie Holt (Gilroy, Calif.) loaded the bases with nobody out. Junior Samantha Mulcahy (Taunton, Mass.) walked to force in a run and Taylor raced home on a wild pitch to knot the score at 3-3. An RBI ground out by senior Courtney Gouveia (Taunton, Mass.) plated Holt and gave the Bears a 4-3 lead. Sharon then capped off the scoring with an RBI double.
Sophomore Kylie Fletcher (Dighton, Mass.) homered in the bottom of the first to give the Corsairs the early 1-0 lead. RBI base hits by Fletcher and freshman Lindsay Chubbuck (Berkley, Mass.) in the third extended the UMD advantage to 3-0.
Sharon went 3-for-4 with a double, run and RBI to pace the BSU offense in game one. Ruprecht (2-for-3, run) also notched multiple hits for the Bears, while Mulcahy went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, a run and an RBI.
Sophomore Jill Richards (Kingston, Mass.) pitched well for the Corsairs but did not factor in the decision despite pitching seven innings and getting all 21 outs. Richards allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Fletcher went 3-for-4 with the home run, two runs and two RBI to highlight the UMass offense. Freshman Autumn Medeiros (Swansea, Mass.) also finished with multiple hits for the Corsairs as she singled twice and added a sacrifice bunt in three plate appearances.
Game Two
Fletcher's walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Corsairs to the 3-2 comeback win in game two.
Junior Meghan Navarro (Taunton, Mass.) gave the Bears a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth with a two-run single.
UMass cut the deficit to 2-1 with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth as the Corsairs capitalized on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt with two runners on.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, junior Nicole McSweeney (Bridgewater, Mass.) reached on an error to keep the Corsairs' hopes alive. After a walk to freshman Rachel Pereira (Dartmouth, Mass.), another BSU error allowed McSweeney to score the tying run. Fletcher then smacked a base it up the middle to plate Pereira with the game-winning run.
Freshman Anna Kerwood (Florence, Mass.) picked up the complete game win for the Corsairs in game two. Kerwood (7-4) allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk in seven innings of work.
Junior Natalie Sorrenti (Bridgewater, Mass.) pitched very well for the Bears in the complete game effort, but was victimized by five BSU errors. Sorrenti (7-7) gave up three unearned runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of work.
Mulcahy also finished with multiple hits in game two as she went 2-for-4 at the plate. She leads the Bears with 15 multi-hit games this season. Heller extended her hitting streak to 11 games with a lead-off base hit in the fourth. She would eventually come around to score on Navarro's two-run single.
Both teams return to action on Saturday afternoon with conference doubleheaders. The Bears entertain MASCAC rival Westfield State University at noon, while the Corsairs host Keene State College at one.