Softball Downs Trinity and Falls to Southern Maine on Opening Day

Clermont, Fla. – The Framingham State University softball team split a pair of games today at the Dot Richardson Invitational to open the 2014 season.  The Rams defeated Trinity in the opener 11-4 before falling to the University of Southern Maine 14-13.

The Rams jumped on the board in the top of the first with four runs against Trinity and never looked back.  Freshman Tiffanie Marsh (Tewksbury, Mass.) led off the game with a double to left center and came around to score on a single off the bat of junior Shelby Phillips (Taunton, Mass.).  Freshman Danielle Belliveau (Lakeville, Mass.) drove in a pair with an RBI single and junior Andrea Smith (Milford, Mass.) plated the final run of the inning on a single.

Framingham State tacked on two more in the second to extend their lead to 6-0.  Junior Tiffany Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.) plated a run on an RBI triple and came around to score Phillips' second RBI hit of the game.

Two more in the third pushed the Rams lead to 8-0, a pair of runs in each the fifth cut the deficit back to six. The Rams offense tacked on three more in the top of the sixth to push the lead to 11-2.  Junior Kelly Naegelin (Scituate, Mass.) plated a run with an RBI hit and sophomore Jess Anthony (Stoneham, Mass.) drove in two with her second triple of the game.  Trinity added two more to reach the final margin.

Smith recorded the victory on the mound for the Rams going 4.1 innings and allowing no runs on two hits with four walks, while Naegelin tossed 2.2 innings allowing four earned runs on five hits.

In game two, the Rams offense erupted for 12 runs in the first three innings before the game was halted heading to the top of the fifth with the Rams leaded 12-0 due to lightening.  After the delay, the Huskies offense came alive with 14 runs over the game's final three innings to steal the victory.

Marsh recorded three hits and scored a pair of runs in game two, while sophomore Helen Falzone (Ashland, Mass.) picked up a pair of hits, scored three runs and drove in three.  Freshman Casey Fanning (East Boston, Mass.) recorded her first collegiate hit and drove in a pair of runs, while Anthony belted her third triple of the day.