Softball Clinches Playoff Spot with Sweep of Fitchburg State
Framingham, Mass. — The Framingham State College softball team clinched the fourth seed in next week’s Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) post season tournament with a sweep of Fitchburg State today in the final conference games of the season for both teams. The Rams won the first game 5-1 before defeating the Falcons 7-0 in the nightcap. The Rams, who improve to 15-19 overall and 9-5 in the MASCAC with the wins, will play at top seed Westfield State on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Falcons finish their season at 10-24 overall and 4-10 in the MASCAC.
Sophomore Alysia Morrissette (Ware, Mass.) picked up both wins for the Rams in the circle as she improves her season record to 7-12. In the first game, Morrissette came on in relief in the second inning after starting pitcher Andrea DiTerlizzi (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was injured sliding into home in the bottom of the first inning. Morrissette allowed one earned run in her first inning of work on an RBI single by sophomore Kelly Cummings (Natick, Mass.) and did not allow the Falcons another run on the day. She finished game one surrendering the one run on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts and in the second game surrendered only four hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
The Rams took the lead for good in the third inning of game one on an RBI ground out by freshman Kelsey Power (Holidaysburg, PA) and a bases loaded walk of Alyssa Shea (Lakeville, Mass.).
Framingham State added three more in the bottom of the fifth as Shea stole home on the back end of double steal. The Rams other runs came off of an RBI single by freshman Taylor Ezold (Westfield, Mass.) and a ground out by senior Megan Dumas (Holden, Mass.).
Junior Kasey Phipps (Westford, Mass.) went 2-for-2 in the game with a run scored, while Christy Ulak (Rehoboth, Mass.), Ezold, and Dumas each had a single hit. Danielle Correia (W. Bridgewater, Mass.) led the Falcons with two hits.
In the second game, the Rams capitalized on two Fitchburg State errors in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead and added four more in the bottom of the third as they again capitalized on Fitchburg State fielding miscues.
Dumas picked up two more hits in game two and drove in a pair, while Phipps picked up a hit and RBI. Shea went 2-for-4 and scored twice.