BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University softball team swept a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader with visiting Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Park. Bridgewater posted a 10-1 victory in the opener and completed the sweep with an 8-0 no-hit win in game two. Both ends of the twinbill went just five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.
The Bears improve to 19-14-1 on the season and 10-2 in the MASCAC, while the Buccaneers fall to 7-25 overall and 0-12 in conference play. Bridgewater is now 45-1 all-time versus Mass. Maritime and 26-0 at home.
Game One: Bridgewater State 10, Mass. Maritime 1 (5 Inn.)
Senior righthander Laura Hatch (Middleboro, Mass.) tossed a complete game three-hitter to lead Bridgewater to a 10-1 victory in game one. Hatch (2-6) gave up just one unearned run, did not issue a walk and struck out one. She retired the first nine batters she faced before giving up a leadoff single in the top of the fourth.
Graduate centerfielder Alexandra Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) and junior second baseman Kerrin McLaughlin (Haverhill, Mass.) each homered to lead the Bears' nine hit attack. Ruprecht launched her fourth home run of the season and 13th of her career over the left field fence to stake Bridgewater to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. McLaughlin smacked a walk-off grand slam in the fifth to put the finishing touches on the 10-1 victory. McLaughlin's blast marked her first of the season and fifth of her career.
McLaughlin went 2-for-3 in the opener with a run and five RBI. Ruprecht added a walk to her home run and scored two runs. Freshman designated player Amelia Blake (Raynham, Mass.) and junior catcher Madison Dana (Lynn, Mass.) also recorded multiple hits for the Bears. Blake was 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs and two RBI, while Dana went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Blake connected for a two-run single and Dana rapped an RBI double in the Bears' five-run third inning. McLaughin and senior shortstop Megan Sharon (East Longmeadow, Mass.) also added RBI base hits in the frame.
Freshman righthander Sicily DiDomenico (Haverhill, Mass.) allowed ten runs (nine earned) on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings in the setback for Mass. Maritime. DiDomenico walked two and fanned two.
Game Two: Bridgewater State 8, Mass. Maritime 0 (5 Inn.)
Sophomore righthander Madelyn Klingel (Windsor, Conn.) tossed her first collegiate no-hitter to lead the Bears to the 8-0 win in game two and a sweep of the doubleheader. Klingel (3-2) retired 15 of the 16 batters she faced allowing just a two-out walk in the second inning. She threw 56 pitches, including 41 for strikes, and struck out a season-high seven batters.
Freshman shortstop Riley Fitzgerald (Swansea, Mass.) paced the BSU offense in game two as she went 3-for-3, stole a base and scored two runs. Ruprecht doubled and singled in three at bats, scored two runs and knocked in two. Dana drove in three runs with a two-run single and sacrifice fly.
The Bears pushed across four runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Ruprecht and Dana's two-run single. The fourth run of the frame came across on a wild pitch.
Bridgewater tacked on three more runs in the second to make it a 7-0 game. Ruprecht singled home a run while Dana added a sacrifice fly in the inning. A Maritime throwing error accounted for the third run of the frame.
Sophomore right fielder Molly Thibaudeau (Lincoln, R.I.) singled with two outs in the bottom of the third, advanced to second on freshman third baseman Emily Marcotte's (North Dighton, Mass.) bunt single and to third on a throwing error. After Marcotte stole second, Thibaudeau raced home on Maritime's seventh error of the contest to extend the BSU advantage to 8-0.
Marcotte (1-2, BB) reached safely twice for the Bears in three plate appearance and scored a pair of runs.
Senior lefthander Malarie Pittsley (Dighton, Mass.) was saddled with the loss for the Buccaneers as she worked the first three innings. Pittsley (3-14) allowed eight runs, only four of which were earned, on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout. DiDomenico tossed a scoreless inning of relief as she gave up one hit and fanned one.
Both teams wrap up regular season play later this week with MASCAC doubleheaders. The Bears entertain Worcester State University on Friday afternoon at three o'clock, while the Buccaneers travel to Salem State University on Saturday to take on the Vikings starting at noon.