Softball Closes Regular Season with Split with Suffolk
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University softball team split a non-conference double-header with Suffolk University on Tuesday afternoon at Maple Street Field. Suffolk took the opener 5-3 in eight innings while the hosts rebounded for a 6-3 win in the nightcap.
With the split, the Rams of FSU are 27-11 while the Suffolk Rams move to 25-15.
In the first game, Suffolk took the lead in the top of the second inning on a sacrifice fly to right by sophomore McKenzie McGrath (Exeter, NH).
The run was the only one in the game until the Rams plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 3-1 lead. Junior Anna Dziok (Southampton, Mass.) reached on an infield single and senior Marissa Flynn (Marlborough, Mass.) reached on an error. Senior Kylie Boyle (Billerica, Mass.) plated the first run with a single and sophomore Lauren Salisbury (Cranston, RI) followed with a two run double.
The Boston Rams tied the game in the top of the seventh after loading the bases with two outs. Delaney Sylvester (Worcester, Mass.) walked with the bases loaded and Lindsay Pagano (Wyckoff, NY) tied the game with an RBI single. Salisbury ended the inning throwing out a runner at the plate on the Pagano's basehit.
In the top of the eighth, senior Kim Crucuili (North Andover, Mass.) plated the go ahead run on a single and Jaclyn Flint (Medfield, Mass.) drove in a run on a double.
The Framingham State bats came alive in the nightcap as the hosts wrapped out 16 hits en route to a 6-3 triumph to earn the split. Junior Dayna Marchant (East Bridgewater, Mass.) led the way with a 3-for-3 performance.
FSU broke the scoreless tie in the home half of the third after a Marchant walk to lead off the inning singles by Mycala Moody (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Dziok set up a two-run double by Kayla Finacchiaro (Natick, Mass.) to give the Rams a 2-0 lead. After a pitching change Bridget McGrail (Worcester, Mass.) singled in a run before Boyle doubled in Finacchiaro to cap the scoring in the inning.
Suffolk countered in the 4th inning when Devlin Frost (Tewksbury, Mass.) hit a solo shot to center. In the fifth, McKenzie McGrath (Exeter, NH) was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a double by Jaclyn Flint (Medfield, Mass.) who came around to score on a Frost RBI groundout later in the inning.
The Rams added two insurance runs in the 5th when McGrail singled and pinch runner Rachel Desrochers (Westford, Mass.) scored on an RBI double by Salisbury. Kyla Johnson (North Attleboro, Mass.) followed up with an RBI double of her own to reach the final 6-3 margin.
Finacchiaro earned the win in her first start of the season going 5 innings surrendering five hits, three runs and striking out two. Jessica Pietersen (Norton, Mass.) earned the save for the Rams pitching a perfect two innings to close out the game.
The Rams are back in action on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. when they host the winner of Bridgewater State/Worcester State in the second round of the MASCAC Tournament at Maple Street Field.