WORCESTER, Mass. – Behind another outstanding pitching performance from Amber White (Middleboro, Mass.), the Bridgewater State University softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Clark University on Tuesday afternoon at O'Brien Field.
The visiting Bears (15-8) rolled to a 7-0 victory in the opener as White dazzled in the circle. Hayley Buckheit (Camden Hills, Maine) blasted a two-out, two-run walk-off homer to complete a bottom of the seventh four-run uprising and help Clark (7-13) salvage the split of the twinbill.]
Game 1: Bridgewater State 7, Clark 0
White dominated the game, yielding just three hits with no walks and nine strikeouts to improve to 12-2 on the year.
The Bears scored a run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Samantha LoPilato (Medford, Mass.) and then added two more in the third. Jill Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.) led off the inning with a homerun to left center and then Jennifer Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) drove in Tara McCann (Fall River, Mass.) with a single to left.
Buckheit, who pitched game one, looked to be out of the inning in the fifth after getting a strikeout that seemed to be the third out. The umpire ruled the ball hit the ground, necessitating a throw to first that got away and extended the inning. Bridgewater State took advantage of the extra out, pushing four runs across highlighted by a Kelly McCarthy (Burlington, Mass.) two-run double.
White, meanwhile, stayed out of trouble the entire contest. She gave up a leadoff single to Maya Allen (Concord, Mass.) in the first and a double to Rachel Kraytenberg(Londonderry, N.H.) in the second. She then went on to retire 15 of the next 16 batters, save for a Shawna Amatucci (Shrewsbury, Mass.) single in the fifth.
Jocelyn Bettencourt (Plymouth, Mass.) went 3-for-4 with a runs scored and a RBI, while Galavotti and Welch each had two hits.
Game 2: Clark 5, Bridgewater State 4
The Cougars snapped a four-game slide with the dramatic victory in the nightcap. Bridgewater State wasted little time getting on the board, plating two runs in the top of the first on a Galavotti two-run single to center.
BSU loaded the bases on Clark starter Melanie Dusseault (Auburn, N.H.) in the third and managed to get two runs on a bases loaded walk by Rebecca Percuoco (Billerica, Mass.) and a Caroline Leddy (Saugus, Mass.) infield single.
The Scarlet and White turned the tables on Bear hurler Kathleen Bailey (Bayport, N.Y.) in the bottom of the frame as Amatucci walked, Dusseault doubled to left and Allen walked with one out. Amatucci scored on a passed ball but even more damage was averted by Bridgewater State when Jessica Laudati (Berkley, Mass.) made an incredible sliding catch on a Corrie Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.) foul ball down the left field line and then got up and fired a strike to the plate in order to get Dusseault who had tagged up and tried to score.
Derosier's foulout actually started a stretch of ten straight retired by Bailey, who was pitching terrifically heading into the seventh, having struck out six.
The game-winning inning started with an Alyssa Wright (Manchester, N.H.) single to left. Wright, who made several stellar defensive plays throughout the day at shortstop, came around to score when Lauren Mackey (Dublin, N.H.) crushed a Bailey offering over the left centerfield fence, making the score, 4-3.
Bailey was then able to induce a pair of groundouts around a Tatiana Chunis (Sutton, Mass.) double to right center.
After the first pitch to Buckheit was called outside, the second was crushed by Buckheit, sailing over the fence in left center, sending the Cougars to the dramatic win.
Mackey was the only Cougar with multiple hits in the second game (2-for-3), while Galavotti, McCann and Karissa Pagan (Brockton, Mass.) all had two hits for the Bears.
Bridgewater State is back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Babson for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch. Clark returns to the field on Friday with a crucial league matchup against Springfield College.