By Jim Fenton
WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team concluded the regular season by dropping a doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
The Bears lost to Westfield State University by identical 4-2 scores to finish 6-8 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The Owls (26-11-1) clinched the MASCAC championship, going 12-2, and will be the No. 1 seed in next week's conference tournament.
BSU (19-19) is the No. 5 seed and will play at fourth-seeded Salem State University on Wednesday afternoon. The Vikings (13-24, 7-7 MASCAC) were swept by the Bears, 10-7 and 9-8, in Bridgewater on April 9.
In the doubleheader loss to Westfield State, the Bears combined for only nine hits, getting just three in the opener, and they struck out nine times in each game.
Game One: Westfield State 4, Bridgewater State 2
Winning pitcher Katherine Canty (Natick, Mass.) struck out nine and limited the Bears to a pair of hits by Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) and one by losing pitcher Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.). Canty improved to 10-3 with the complete-game victory.
The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Emily Marcotte (North Dighton, Mass.) walked, was sacrificed to second by Kyleah Plumb (Taunton, Mass.), went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Ansell.
Westfield State took the lead for good with a three-run third inning.
Arielle Ostman (Woodbury, Minn.) walked, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single up the middle by Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield, Mass.).
Lummus stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Christina Ciampa (Rockville, Conn.).
After stealing second, Ciampa scored on a single by Hannah Wodecki (Southampton, Mass.).
The Bears were within 3-2 in the fourth as Ansell singled to right, was sacrificed to second by Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) and scored on a hit by Hargreaves.
Lummus had two of the six Westfield State hits. Hargreaves took the loss and is now 7-5.
Game Two: Westfield State 4, Bridgewater State 2
Stephanie Scoville (Northfield, Mass.) fanned nine and scattered six hits for the win.
Two of the four runs allowed by winning pitcher McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) were unearned, and she had three strikeouts.
The Owls took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Sarah Hough (Southwick, Mass.) singled through the left side to score Ciampa and Wodecki, who had singled.
BSU tied the game with single runs in the second and third innings.
Janet Jolly (Raynham, Mass.) led the second with a triple to right-center field and scored on a wild pitch.
In the third, Sydney Schaefer walked and went to third when a sacrifice bunt by Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.) was misplayed.
Schaefer scored on a double steal to tie the game.
The Owls produced two runs in the bottom of the third to close out the scoring.
Ciampa reached on an error, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Wodecki. After moving to third on an outfield error, Wodecki scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Sarah Bingham (Reno, Nev.).
The Bears had a runner on second in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings but were prevented from scoring.
Marcotte singled and stole second in the fourth, Becker singled and stole second in the fifth, Emily Eastman (Cranston, R.I.) singled and was sacrificed to second in the sixth and Schaefer doubled with two outs in the seventh.
BSU left nine runners on base in the nightcap.