By Jim Fenton

MILTON, Mass. -- Senior McKayla Cusack (West Haven, Conn.) pitched a three-hit shutout to help the Bridgewater State University softball team split a doubleheader with Curry College Tuesday afternoon.

Cusack went the distance in the opener, a 5-0 victory over the Colonels that included a home run by sophomore Sydney Schaefer (Swarthmore, Pa.).

Curry bounced back to take the second game with the Bears, 5-2.  BSU was limited to three hits by winning pitcher Jillian Rogers (East Freetown, Mass.), a senior who is 10-3.

The Bears are 12-16 after the non-conference split while the Colonels are 14-16.

Game One: Bridgewater State 5, Curry 0

Cusack is now 5-6 after her second three-hitter of the season. Her first one came against Penn State-Beaver in South Carolina last month.

She allowed only one base runner to reach second, that happening in the first inning on a single and stolen base.

Cusack gave up a single in the second and another in the fifth. She retired the final eight batters, the last two by strikeout in a perfect seventh inning.

Cusack struck out five and did not walk a batter in her sixth complete game this season.

BSU had 12 hits with junior Angelina Lynch (Taunton, Mass.) and sophomore Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.) getting three each while Schaefer and senior Amelia Blake (Raynham, Mass.) ahd two apiece.

The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the first when Lynch had an infield hit and scored on a double to left by Ansell.

They made it 2-0 in the sixth on a triple down the right-field line by Blake, scoring Schaefer, who had singled.

In the seventh, Schaefer hit a three-run homer to left after two-out singles by Lynch and Ansell.

Schaefer hit the first two homers of her career on Monday against the Mass. Maritime Academy.

Senior Jennelle Munoz (Lake Elsinore, Calif.) took the loss, allowing one run and striking out three in four innings.

Game Two: Curry 5, Bridgewater State 2

The Colonels jumped to a 4-0 lead by scoring all of their runs with two outs.

Freshman Tara Goldman (New Bedford, Mass.) walked, stole second and went to third on a groundout before scoring on a single by sophomore Morgan Barmash (Woburn, Mass.).

After a single by sophomore Gracie Keyes (Portsmouth, R.I.), Rogers had an RBI single, stole second and came home on a two-run single to right by junior Cailene Dupras (North Providence, R.I.).

The Bears got on the scoreboad in the third as Lynch reached on a two-base error and came home on an Ansell two-out single.

BSU added a run in the sixth when Lynch singled and went to third on an error. She then scored on a sacrifice fly by Schaefer.

Curry added the last run in the sixth on a sacrifice bunt by Dupras.

Rogers struck out five and walked one while Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) took the loss, allowing nine hits and striking out two.

Lynch, Ansell and Mendonca had the hits for BSU while Keyes, Barmash and Dupras had two hits each for Curry.

The Bears are off until Saturday when they host the Mass. College of Liberal Arts in a MASCAC doubleheader at 12:30 p.m.

Curry travels to Wellesley College for a twinbill starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday.