PRIDE AND FALCONS SPLIT NON-LEAGUE DOUBLEHEADER

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College and Fitchburg State University split a non-conference softball doubleheader on a cold Thursday night in Weston, Mass. The Falcons (9-13) won the opening game 2-1, before the Pride (8-14) won the nightcap by a score of 5-3.

In game one, the Falcons struck first as Allison Page (Wakefield, Mass.) drove in Colleen Flaherty (Stoughton, Mass.) with an RBI single that gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth. They tacked on one more run in the top of the sixth as a poor throw to first from the Pride catcher got away, allowing Katelyn Fitzgerald (Fitchburg, Mass.) to scoot home and put FSU on top 2-0.

After scattering five hits through the first six innings, the Regis bats came alive in the bottom of the seventh as Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) picked up her second hit of the game to lead off the inning. Michaela NeJaime (Sandisfield, Mass.) worked a two-out walk to put runners on the corners after Najheen Anglin (Springfield, Mass.) stole second and then advanced to third on a dropped third strike. NeJaime moved into scoring position on the next pitch, before Anglin scored on a wild pitch to make it a one run game. With the tying run 60 feet away, Fitchburg's Brittany Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) forced Shannon Simonelli (Providence, R.I.) to ground back to the mound, ending the threat and the game.

Haley Fountain went 2-for-3 at the plate, but suffered the setback on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up two runs (one earned) on nine hits. Kirbie Garvey (Littleton, Mass.), Samantha Bliss (Framingham, Mass.), Katie Cuozzo (Lynn, Mass.) and NeJaime added the other hits for the Pride.

Brittany Whiting picked up her fourth win of 2013, throwing a complete game and giving up only one run on six hits with six strikeouts. Ashley Forgues (Fitchburg, Mass.), Colleen Flaherty, and Allison Page each had two-hit days for the Falcons, with Page picking up the lone RBI.

The Pride struck first in the nightcap as Haley Fountain doubled home Samantha Bliss to put the Pride on top 1-0 in the bottom of the third. Katie Cuozzo held FSU in check through the first five innings, but the Falcons broke through in their half of the six to tie the game at 1-1. After Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass.) reached on an error, Amanda Whitelaw (Flemington, N.J.) singled over the third baseman's head to put a pair of runners on. Cuozzo got the second out of the inning on a come-backer, but Hailey Thibault (Swansea, Mass.) followed with an RBI single through the left side to knot the game at one run apiece. Cuozzo ended the threat as Allison Page popped up to first to end the inning.

Regis responded in their half of the sixth as Haley Fountain led off the inning with a walk. Cuozzo followed with a single to left field, and after a strikeout, Raegan Heck (Phillipston, Mass.) hit a groundball to third base, but raced down the line to beat the throw and load the bases for the Pride. The Falcons got a groundball with the bases loaded and got the force out at the plate for the second out of the inning, but NeJaime followed with a looping line drive to short that could not be handled and allowed Laurie DeMars (Maynard, Mass.) to sneak home and put the Pride on top 2-1. Shannon Simonelli followed with an infield hit to score another run, and Kirbie Garvey broke the game open with a two-run single to center that gave the Pride a 5-1 lead headed into the top of the seventh.

The Falcons would not go quietly in the final inning as Marissa Gemma (Leominster, Mass.), Ashley Forgues, and Marissa Binnall (Fitchburg, Mass.) hit three-straight one out singles to load the bases. Tori Cyrus drove in a pair of runs with a two-run single through the left side to make it a 5-3 game, but Cuozzo worked out of the jam, forcing a pop-out and a groundout to end the game and earn the doubleheader split.

Cuozzo went 2-for-3 at the plate and picked up her fourth win of the year, tossing seven innings and allowing only three runs (two earned) on nine hits. Shannon Simonelli went 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Kirbie Garvey went 1-for-4 with a pair of runs driven in.

For the Falcons, Marissa Binnall and Tori Cyrus each went 2-for-4 on the day with Cyrus picking up a pair of RBI. Ashley Forgues, Amanda Whitelaw, Hailey Thibault, Allison Page, and Marissa Gemma added the other hits for Fitchburg. Kerry Alcott (Groton, Mass.) falls to 5-7 on the year while allowing five runs on nine hits in six innings of work, striking out nine Pride batters.

The Pride return to action on Saturday afternoon when Regis returns to New England Collegiate Conference action with a doubleheader at Daniel Webster College starting at 12:00 p.m. The Falcons will host the Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. MASCAC twinbill.