By Jim Fenton

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team split a doubleheader with the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Saturday afternoon.

Hailey Peabody (West Springfield, Mass.) limited the Bears to four hits and struck out nine in the opener, a 4-0 Trailblazers' win.

Olivia Hargreaves (Weare, N.H.) scattered seven hits and allowed just an unearned run as BSU rebounded for a 6-1 victory in the second game.

The Bears improved to 19-17 and are 6-6 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. MCLA is 11-23 and 2-10 in the conference.

BSU finishes the regular season with a road doubleheader against Westfield State next Saturday.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 6, MCLA 1

Hargreaves is now 7-4 after defeating the Trailblazers. She walked only one and MCLA left seven runners on.

The lone run she allowed came in the bottom of the first when Peabody bunted for a single, stole two bases and scored on a throwing error.

BSU took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run single by Emily Eastman (Cranston, R.I.) with two outs, scoring Makayla Ansell (Menifee, Calif.), who had reached on a fielder's choice, and Victoria Becker (Abington, Mass.), who had singled.

After MCLA scored its run in the bottom of the first, BSU went up, 3-1, in the third as Becker doubled, stole third and came home on a groundout by Hargreaves.

The Bears added a run in the fourth as pinch hitter Lily Gioiosa (Dartmouth, Mass.) walked, stole second and scored on an error.

They ended the scoring in the fifth with Becker getting a run-scoring triple to right-center, bringing in Emily Marcotte (Raynham, Mass.), and an RBI single up the middle by Hargreaves.

The Bears had eight hits with Becker getting three and Gioiosa two. Peabody, Ella Staffier (Marshfield, Mass.) and Ezmeralda Albright (Loves Park, Ill.) had two hits each for MCLA.

Game One: MCLA 4, Bridgewater State 0

The Bears managed two doubles and two singles against Peabody and left seven runners stranded.

Sidney Schwartz (Chelmsford, Mass.) singled in the second to load the bases with one out, but BSU was unable to get a run in.

Ansell doubled to lead off the third but was stranded and Gioiosa led the fourth with a single and went to third on a sacrifice and a groundout but was left there.

The Bears got a leadoff double from Hargreaves in the sixth and she stole third, but the next three hitters were retired.

MCLA scored three times in the first inning as Justina Pardi (Niskayuna, N.Y.) doubled to left-center field, scoring Maddy Teta (Troy, N.Y.), who walked.

Staffier, who reached on an error, scored on a groundout and a throwing error brought home Pardi.

The game's only other run was scored in the second when Staffier doubled home Madyson Torres (Dripping Springs, Texas), who had doubled to left-center.

Losing pitcher Olyvia Mendonca (Taunton, Mass.) gave up just two earned runs and six hits.