KEENE, N.H. – The Bridgewater State College softball team dropped a 12-2 decision to Keene State College in the championship game of the ECAC Division III New England Tournament.
Bridgewater State, which concludes its season with a 21-21 record, advanced to the championship round after beating second seed Lesley University 5-1 in the elimination final. The fifth seeded Bears went 3-2 during the tournament with both losses being at the hands of Keene State.
Keene (29-14-1) collected 16 hits on the way to defeating the Bears as the Owls captured their second straight ECAC Tournament title.
Keene State scored four runs in the second inning and never looked back. The inning was highlighted by a three-run home run by sophomore Laura Chandler (Wakefield, Mass.). It was her team-leading ninth home run of the season.
Bridgewater State got on the board in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single by freshman Jennifer Shaw (Brockton, Mass.).
The Owls added two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Junior Katie Bradford (Lebanon, N.H.), the tournament’s most outstanding player, and senior Stephanie Lavado (Wallingford, Conn.) had RBI doubles in the fifth and Bradford and freshman Nicole Dupuis (Fitchburg, Mass.) had run-producing hits in the sixth.
KSC plated four more run in the seventh to break the game open. Sophomore Haley Botti (Dracut, Mass.) and freshman Jessica Fiorenza (Wakefield, Mass.) each knocked in a run.
The Bears got their second run in the bottom of the frame on a RBI single by pinch-hitter Casey Hill (Randolph, Mass.).
Seven out of the eight Owl batters had two hits in the game. Laura Chandler and Bradford each finished the game with three RBIs.
Senior Meghan Noyes (Stoughton, Mass.) had two of the Bears’ seven hits.
Sophomore Courtney Savoie (Stratham, N.H.) got the complete game win for the Owls to improve her record to 10-5, while senior Jamie Ducinski (Duxbury, Mass.), the BSC starter, took the loss.
In the elimination game final, Bridgewater plated four runs in the third inning en route to the 5-1 win over Lesley.
Junior Penny King (Hanover, Mass.) knocked in the first run of the frame with an RBI double while sophomore Michaela Ferreira (Fall River, Mass.) and junior Tracey Sanko Windsor, Conn.) each had RBI hits in the inning. Sophomore Heather McPherson (Mansfield, Mass.) also walked with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Sanko tossed a complete-game four hitter with four strikeouts and three walks to get the win in the circle. She posted a record of 3-1 during the tournament with 20 strikeouts and a 0.28 earned run average in 25 1/3 innings of work.
Bridgewater banged out nine hits in the contest with Shaw and sophomore Jordan McDermott (East Bridgewater, Mass.) leading the way with two hits apiece.