BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Led by tournament MVP Amber White (Middleboro, Mass.), Bridgewater State captured the program's eighth Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Softball Tournament championship as the top-seeded Bears downed second-seeded MCLA, 2-1, in the title game on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Park.
By virtue of the tournament championship, the team's first since 2009, the Bears will advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the 21st time in program history. The NCAA Division III Softball Tournament selection show will be webcast live at www.ncaa.com on Monday morning at ten with regional play getting underway on Thursday, May 9th.
After giving up an unearned run in the first due to a three-base dropped fly ball, White (14-6) blanked the visiting Trailblazers the rest of the way as she went the distance giving up just the one unearned run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
White masterfully worked out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the second by inducing a harmless pop out followed by back-to-back strikeouts. She would go on to retire 11 straight batters in a row before giving up a two-out double in the fifth.
Jessica Laudati (Berkley, Mass.), whose error in the first led to the Trailblazers' only run of the game, made amends in the bottom of the fourth by launching the game-tying home run over the left field fence.
The Bears took the 2-1 lead in the fifth as Jocelyn Bettencourt (Plymouth, Mass.) reached on an infield single with two outs and then scored all the way from first on Jennifer Shaw's (Brockton, Mass.) clutch RBI double.
After coming through with the bat in the fifth, Shaw made a terrific defensive play in the sixth as she leaped to snag a line drive and turned it into an inning-ending double play.
White would set the side down in order in the seventh to secure the tournament championship for the Bears. The MASCAC Pitcher of the Year gave up just four runs (one earned) over 28 innings during the tournament as she posted a 0.25 earned run average with 27 strikeouts and just one walk. White entered the tournament ranked fifth in all of Division III in ERA and sixth in fewest walks allowed.
Bettencourt paced Bridgewater's nine-hit attack as she went 3-for-3 at the plate. Laudati (2-for-3) and Melissa Harmon (Shrewsbury, Mass.) also had multiple hits for the Bears. Harmon went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
Rachel Quakenbush (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) suffered the loss in the circle for the Trailblazers. Quakenbush (11-8) allowed two runs on nine hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Tanelle Ciempa (Adams, Mass.) had two of MCLA's six hits in the game as she singles twice in three at bats.
The Trailblazers end the season with an overall mark of 21-22.