By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The fifth-seeded Bridgewater State University softball team begins the Massachsuetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament on Wednesday night.

The Bears (19-19, 6-8 MASCAC) travel to fourth-seeded Salem State University (13-24, 7-7) for a 6 p.m. game in the single-elimination portion of the tourney.

The winner will play Friday afternoon at either top-seeded Westfield State University or second-seeded Framingham State when four teams will remain in a double-elimination format.

BSU, which has played Framingham State in the championship round the past four seasons, went 1-3 in its final four games to slip into the No. 5 spot behind Salem State.

The Bears swept a doubleheader from the Vikings on April 9 at home, 10-7 and 9-8, needing comebacks for both victories.

In the opener, Salem State held a 7-4 lead before BSU scored six runs in its final three at-bats. In the second game, the Vikings moved in front, 8-0, early, but the Bears scored two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and five in the sixth.

"I think (those wins) give them a vote of confidence," said assistant coach Angela Vecchione of the Bears, "but at the same time, we've been telling our girls that you can't take any opponent lightly.

"You can't take Salem lightly. Salem is a good hitting team. They are a team that will manufacture runs and make you work hard on defense. We need to play clean on defense. We can't take Salem lightly."

The Vikings enter the MASCAC tourney on a three-game winning streak, equaling their longest one of the season. Their top hitter is Samantha Gaona (Billerica, Mass.) with a .330 average and 20 RBI while Emily Henning (Grafton, Mass.) has three home runs.

The Bears enter the tourney with five hitters above .300, led by freshman Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.) at .387. She has 11 doubles and has driven in 28 runs.

"She is somebody who works hard, somebody who makes in-game adjustments," said Vecchione. "When she's practicing, she focuses on working on the things she needs to work on to be consistent at the plate.

"One of her best strengths is being able to put the ball in play. She doesn't strike out a lot, which is great."

Another freshman, Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.), is batting .370.

"She is somebody who has been grinding and grinding and grinding," said Vecchione. "One thing that is really great about her is when she gets up, she is a very aggressive hitter and isn't afraid to swing at the first good pitch that she sees."

Sophomore Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) is batting .354 with 10 doubles, two triples and a pair of homers.

"That girl hits the ball hard, which is fantastic when you consider you have runners on and give her the opportunity to get them home," said Vecchione.

Also above .300 are transfer student Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.), a sophomore who is at .319, and junior Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.), who is hitting .318.

"We've been putting the ball in play," said Vecchione. "For us, it's just a matter of being able to string hits together."

Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.), a freshman, is 7-5 with a 2.18 ERA while making 10 starts. Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) is 6-3 and has made eight starts while junior McKayala Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) is 3-4 and has made eight starts.

"I feel our pitching has really evolved as the season has gone on," said Vecchione. "It's been really good to see the pitchers consistently working hard all season. It's about peaking at the right time.

"For these three to be consistently working hard, working on what they need to work on in practices and then go on the mound and execute is really, really good. It's really valuable.''

The Bears went on a five-game winning streak in early April, capped by the doubleheader sweep of Salem State. Since then, BSU, which is seeking its first MASCAC title since 2021, is 7-9.

"it's win or go home,'' said Vecchione. "They know the magnitude of the game, but we told them, 'Don't let that creep into your head.' If they go out and execute what they need to execute, winning will be a byproduct.

"If we play clean, we should be able to be able to take care of business.''

The other single-elimination game on Wednesday has third-seeded Worcester State hosting sixth-seeded Fitchburg State.