BRIDGEWATER, Mass. --- Behind a pair of shutouts by Amber White (Middleboro, Mass.), the Bridgewater State University softball team swept a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Doubleheader with Worcester State University on Friday afternoon at Alumni Park.
Bridgewater improves to 21-11 with the win and remain alone atop the MASCAC standings with a perfect 8-0 conference mark. The Bears have won six of their last eight games. Worcester falls to 9-14 overall and 7-3 in the MASCAC.
Game One: Bridgewater State 1, Worcester State 0 (8 Inn.)
White outdueled the Lancers' Meghan Rich (Chelmsford, Mass.) in game one to lead the Bears to the 1-0 victory in eight innings. The only run of the game came across as a result of an error in the extra frame.
White tossed a five-shutout to improve to 15-3 on the season. She fanned seven and did not walk a batter. The shutout marked White's tenth of the season and 24th of her BSU career as she tied Amanda Sanson's all-time program mark for career shutouts.
Rich matched White pitch for pitch until the game went into extra innings. Rich gave up just the one unearned run on three hits and two walks. She struck out eight.
In the decisive eighth inning, the Bears loaded the bases with one out on a pair of singles by Karissa Pagan (Brockton,Mass.) and Courtney Leddy (Saugus, Mass.) sandwiched around a walk to Samantha LoPilato (Medford, Mass.). After a fielder's choice groundout cut down Pagan at the plate, Jill Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.) followed with a hard ground ball to short that was bobbled momentarily allowing Welch to beat the throw and LoPilato to race home with the game-winning run.
Leddy paced the Bears at the plate as she went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Jillian Witkowski (Leicester, Mass.) singled twice in three at bats to highlight the Worcester offense.
Game Two: Bridgewater State 4, Worcester State 0
White continued to dominate in game two as she recorded her second shutout of the day, MASCAC leading 11th of the season and school-record 25th of her BSU career. White gave up just two hits and fanned five as she lowered her earned run average to an impressive 0.51.
Jennifer Galavotti (Marion, Mass.) supplied all the offense White would need as she belted a grand slam in the first inning to account for all the scoring. The home run marked her team and conference leading sixth of the season.
Galavotti finished 2-for-3 at the plate in game two, while Welch (2-for-4) and Pagan (2-for-3) also registered two hits apiece.
Kayla Humphrey (Wallingford, Ct.) suffered the loss in the circle for the Lancers as she worked the first three innings giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits. Humphrey (4-4) did not issue a walk and struck out one. Marissa Avanzato (Pittsfield, Mass.) hurled three scoreless inning of relief for the visitors as she allowed just a pair of hits and fanned two.
Taylor Hanley (Wilmington, Mass.) played a fine defensive game in center field for Worcester. Hayley recorded seven put outs in the nightcap including a great diving catch that saved two runs in the bottom of third.
The MASCAC Schedule resumes for both team on Monday afternoon (Patriots Day). The Bears travel to Fitchburg State University to take on the Falcons at one, while the Lancers entertain Framingham State University at noon.