FORT MYERS, Fla. – Senior righthander Amber White (Middleboro, Mass.) tossed her third career no-hitter to lead the Bridgewater State University softball team to an 8-0 victory (5 inn.) over St. Joseph's College of Maine at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers. The Bears dropped a 4-2 decision to Edgewood College in their first game of the day.
White, who tossed two no-hitters for the Bears back in 2012, stuck out four and walked two as she improved to 3-0 on the season. She has allowed just two unearned run in 21 innings of work.
The Bears dented the scoreboard with three runs in the top of the third. With one out, Sheila O'Sullivan (Westwood, Mass.) single, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on Jocelyn Bettencourt's (Plymouth, Mass.) bunt single. After Bettencourt stole second, Karissa Pagan (Brockton, Mass.) reached on a bunt single to score O'Sullivan with the first run of the game and advance Bettencourt to third. Bettencourt would scamper home on a passed ball, and Jessica Laudati (Berkley, Mass.) drove in Pagan with a sacrifice fly later in the frame.
Bridgewater tacked on three more runs in the fourth to make it a 6-0 game. Jennifer Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) and Kelly McCarthy (Burlington, Mass.) led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Tara McCann (Fall River, Mass.) followed with an RBI double scoring Galavotti. A sacrifice fly by Jill Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.) plated McCarthy, and O'Sullivan drove in McCann with an RBI single.
Pagan doubled to lead off the fifth, moved to third on a ground out and scored on an errant pickoff attempt by the catcher. Later in the inning, McCann doubled home Galavotti, who had walked, with the Bears' eighth run of the game.
White worked around a leadoff walk in the fifth to close out the game and complete her no-hit bid.
Pagan (2-for-3), McCann (2-for-3) and O'Sullivan (2-for-2) finished with two hits apiece for the Bears. Pagan scored two runs and drove in one, while McCann finished with a pair of RBI doubles to go along with a run scored.
In the 4-2 loss to Edgewood earlier in the day, the Bears jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning on a pair of RBI singles by Galavotti and McCarthy.
Edgewood starter Rachel DeJongh (Madison, Wis.), however, settled into the circle after the shaky first inning. She allowed just three hits and kept the Bears off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
After leaving four runners on base over the first two innings, the Eagles finally broke through in the third scoring four runs on three hits and a pair of BSU errors. Alexis Unser(Winneconne, Wis.) brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly and Dylan Bahrke (Stoughton, Wis.) singled home Kylie Clark (Janesville, Wis.) to tie the game. Taylor McLean (Bradley, Ill.) and Bahrke then crossed after a Bridgewater State error to put the Eagles up 4-2.
DeJongh (6-3) went all seven innings giving up the two runs on six hits. She walked three and fanned two.
McCarthy paced the BSU offense with two hits in three at bats, while Bettencourt walked twice in four plate appearances.
McCarthy (0-2) was saddled with the loss in the circle as she gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks. She also struck out three.
Bridgewater's Florida schedule continues on Tuesday morning when they take on Stevens Tech. at nine followed by Drew University at 11. The Bears are currently 3-3 on their season-opening trip.