Softball Opens Campaign With One-Run Wins Over WNE, Clarkson

Clermont, FL --- Behind the efforts of junior teammates Sara Pelletier (Leominster, MA) and Meghan Rich (Chelmsford, MA), Worcester State opened their spring training trip with a 7-6 victory over Western New England and a 6-5 triumph over Clarkson at the NTC Softball complex.

Down by two runs in the bottom of the first of the opening contest, Pelletier gave her team the 3-2 advantage with one swing of the bat on a base-clearing double to left field.

Senior Taylor Hanley (Willington, MA) followed with a two-run single to give the Lancers some insurance.

The Golden Bears (2-1), however, chipped away at the deficit and soon tied up the score 5-5 with single tallies in the second, third and fourth innings.

Pelletier though came through for her team in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out solo RBI base-knock to put her squad up by one run.

Western New England answered the call and equaled the contest 6-6 by taking advantage of an infield miscue.

Junior Heather Facteau (Biddleford, ME) knotted things up on a single to manufacture the tying run, but Hanley fired the ball in quickly to sophomore Courtney Salisbury (Cranston, RI) at catcher, who then flicked it to the second-baseman for the inning-ending out.

With the score knotted up entering the bottom of the seventh, Worcester State loaded the bases with consecutive infield base-hits and a walk.

After junior WNE Heidi Greiger (Hyde Park, NY) fanned the next batter for some relief, freshman Danielle Cacciola (Tewksbury, MA) ended the contest with a pinch-hit, RBI single to right that gave the Lancers their first win of 2015 and marked her first collegiate knock.

Pelletier finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs while Salisbury was 3-for-4 and she had a double in the second inning. WSU ended the game edging the Golden Bears in the hitting department, 11-10.

Sophomore Kayla Humphrey (Wallingford, CT) picked up the victory in relief as she gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits to go with one walk. Humphrey did not record a strikeout.

In the nightcap the Lancers went up 2-0 on a Rich two-run double in the top of the third, but Clarkson responded and tied up the score in the bottom half of the same frame.

Worcester State came right back and put up a trio of scores in the top of the fourth to take over the 5-2 advantage.

Salisbury manufactured the go-ahead run by reaching on an error in the infield with runners on second and third before sophomore Rachel Couto (Chelmsford, MA) registered a key two-out, two RBI single to left field.

The Golden Knights (4-2) did cross the plate with single tallies in the fifth and sixth, but the Lancers tacked on a key insurance run in the top of the seventh to go up 6-4. With senior Alyssa Hill (Irving, MA) on first base, junior Hayley Terry (N. Dighton, MA) rapped out a single up the middle that got by the centerfielder and allowed Hill to score on the play.

In the bottom of the seventh Clarkson pushed across one run on an RBI ground-out and put the tying run at second base, but Rich calmly ended it by spinning retiring the final batter of the game on a 6-3.

Rich went 3-for-4 and picked up the win in relief of junior Marissa Avanzato (Pittsfield, MA). Rich went 4 1/3 innings surrendering three runs (one earned) on three hits. Rich also issued three free passes and she notched one strikeout.

Senior Katie Storro (Leominster, MA) also had a pair of singles in a 12-hit attack for the Lancers.

Worcester State will continue their Florida trip with a pair of contests at the NTC Complex. They will take on nationally-ranked Luther at 9 AM before finishing off Monday with a 1 o'clock game against UMass Boston.