Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Clark University this afternoon at Alumni Park in Bridgewater.
The Bears (10-2) posted a 6-2 victory in the opening game of the twinbill. Clark came back to earn a split with a 4-3 win in the nightcap.
Rachal Sprague (Duxbury, MA) went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and Alyssa Verronneau (Acushnet, MA) picked up her fourth straight win, to lead BSC to the 6-2 win in game one.
After pushing across a pair of runs in the first inning, the Bears took a commanding 6-0 lead witha four-run third. Sprague, who singled in a run in the first, also notched an RBI single and came around to score in the third.
Verronneau battled throughout as she improved to 4-0 on the season. The right-hander went 6 2/3 innings allowing two unearned runs on just two hits. Verronneau struck out ten batters but also walked a season-high seven.
Clark pushed across single runs in the sixth and seventh inning as they were final able to capitalize on the walks as well as some shaky BSC defense.
Melissa Traft (Milton, MA) suffered the loss for Clark in the circle. Traft (0-6) gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Stacy Capodiece (East Lyme, CT) was the only other player with multiple hits in game one as the Bears' third baseman finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
In game two, the Cougars scored three times in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie and held on for the 4-3 win.
Sarah Carter (Worcester, MA) went the distance for Clark as she allowed three unearned runs on six hit with two walks and a strikeout. Carter, who also had a key single in the Cougars three-run sixth, evened her record at 3-3.
Stephanie Pierce (Worcester, MA) took the loss in the circle for the Bears. Pierce (4-2) allowed two runs on seven hits in five plus innings of work. She walked one and struck out three.
In the fateful sixth inning, a leadoff single by Katherine Tutela (Dalton, MA) chased Pierce bringing in Verronneau, BSC's game one starter. One out later, Carter laced a single to left to put runners on first and second. Erin Murphy (Boxboro, MA) then broke the tie with an RBI single to right. Joanna Clark (Windham, MA) followed with a runs scoring single and, after a walk to Lauren Blake (Oaklamd, ME), Chelsea Proulx (Franklin, NH) plated the Cougars third run of the frame with another RBI single.
The Bears made things interesting in the bottom half of the sixth with a two-out rally. With Capodiece on second after reaching on an error, Kate Youngstrom (Holden, MA) stroked an RBi double to the fence in left-center field to cut the deficit to 4-2. Bridget Engwer (Wrentham, MA) followed with a single up the middle scoring Youngstrom from second to make it a one-run game.
The Bear however were unable to score again in the inning and went down in order in the seventh.
Blake, Tutela, Carter and Murphy each had two hits apiece for the Cougars who banged out 12 hits in the nightcap.
Tracey Sanko (Windsor, CT) was the only Bear with multiple hits in game two as she went 2-for-4.
Bridgewater travels to Wheaton College on Thursday for a non-conference doubleheader with the Lyons starting at 3 PM.