Softball Splits a Pair of Games on Final Day of Southern Swing

Clermont, Fla. – The Framingham State University softball team closed their southern trip this afternoon with a 6-5 victory over Benedictine at the NTC Games.  Earlier in the day, the Rams were defeated 10-2 in six innings by SUNY Geneseo.

The Rams closed their trip in thrilling fashion rallying for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to defeat Benedictine.  The Rams trailed 5-0 heading into their final at bat and capitalized on four Benedictine errors to score five unearned runs.

Senior Natasha Arseneau (Waltham, Mass.) earned the victory in the circle tossing an inning and a third of scoreless relief without allowing a hit while walking just one.  Sophomore Jessica Pietersen (Norton, Mass.) started in the circle and went five and two thirds allowing five earned runs on 11 hits with a walk and a strikeout.

Sophomore Anna Dziok (Southampton, Mass.) tallied a pair of hits for the Rams and drove in a run in the final inning, while junior Tiffanie Marsh (Tewksbury, Mass.) scored a pair of runs and picked up a stolen base.

Marsh paced the Rams in the loss to Geneseo going 1-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI.  The Rams were held to just four hits in the game with sophomore Dayna Marchant, junior Marissa Flynn (Marlborough, Mass.) and junior Kylie Boyle (Billerica, Mass.) accounting for one hit apiece.

Freshman Kelsi Gunarathne (North Providence, RI) suffered the loss going 5.2 innings and allowing eight earned runs, on nine hits with five walks and five strikeouts.  Pietersen allowed two runs in a third of an inning of relief.

The Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on Marsh's RBI triple to right, but Geneseo would tie the game in the fourth with two runs and take the lead for good with three in the fifth.

The Rams close the southern swing at 3-7 and are idle until Thursday when they are scheduled to travel to Lesley University for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.