Fitchburg State Stopped By Plymouth State
The Fitchburg State softball team suffered a pair of non-conference setbacks as it traveled to Plymouth State University this afternoon. The Falcons fell 10-3 in game one before being edge, 7-4 in game two.
Fitchburg State Stopped By Plymouth State
Falcons suffer 10-3 fall in game one; edged 7-4 in game two
WATERVILLE, N.H. (April 15, 2010) - The Fitchburg State softball team suffered a pair of non-conference setbacks as it traveled to Plymouth State University this afternoon. The Falcons fell 10-3 in game one before being edge, 7-4 in game two.
Plymouth State 10, Fitchburg State 3
In the first contest, Plymouth State registered five unanswered runs over the last two innings of play to cruise to its ninth victory of the season.
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Sophomore Kelly Cummings (Natick, Mass./Natick) led the Fitchburg State offense, smacking her second homerun of the season to go with one run scored and two RBI. Senior Leigh Trzcinski (Worcester, Mass./South) was also strong for the Falcons, hitting 2-for-4 with a double, while sophomore Ashley McKinnon (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) finished 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
The Falcons raced out to an early lead as Cummings sparked Fitchburg State’s two-run rally with a two-run blast to left field. Plymouth State responded over the next three frames, collecting five runs on three hits to post a 5-3 advantage. Junior Kortney Nedeau (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) sparked the Panther’s scoring surge with a two-run single in the first inning, before adding a solo shot in the third stanza.
Plymouth held Fitchburg State silent over the final four innings of play while tacking on a series of runs in its final two at-bats to secure the victory. Nedeau struck again, lifting the Panthers with a RBI double in the fifth before nailing her second homerun of the contest in the sixth.
Senior Bethany Stone (Wells, Maine/Wells) suffered the loss for the Falcons, falling to 1-6 on the season. The veteran hurler tossed the first five innings, scattering six runs and seven hits while walking three. Sophomore Ali Keith (Northfield, N.H./Winnisquam) earned the victory, improving to 4-4 on the season. Keith went the distance, yielding three runs (zero earned) and striking out three.
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Plymouth State 7, Fitchburg State 4
In the nightcap, Plymouth State raced out to an early 4-0 lead and held off a late surge by Fitchburg State to post a 7-4 victory.
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Fitchburg State received solid offensive efforts from several players as Trzcinski, McKinnon, Cummings and junior Nicole Monroe (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex) all registered multiple hits. Monroe paced the Falcons with a pair of singles, one run scored and one RBI, while McKinnon added two base-knocks and one RBI.
Plymouth State quickly grabbed a four-run margin, posting a trio of runs in the first and a single run in the third. Nedeau continued her hot stroke from game-one, belting her third homerun of the day with a two-run jack in the first inning.
Fitchburg State rallied back, cutting the Panther lead to 4-2 on a Monroe RBI single, but the Plymouth offense answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Facing a 7-2 deficit, the Falcons strung together a series of hits in the seventh, plating two runs with only one out, but Panther pitcher Diana Bean (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) shut the door, recording the final two outs of the inning.
Bean went the distance for Plymouth State earning her fourth victory of the season with the complete game effort. She allowed only two earned runs one ten hits, while striking out two. Monroe suffered the loss for the Falcons (2-7), yielding seven runs on nine hits and striking out four.
Fitchburg State (6-16, 0-4 MASCAC) will be in action this Saturday as it hosts MCLA for a double-header starting at 12 p.m. Plymouth State (10-12, 2-2 LEC) will travel to Western Connecticut State University on Saturday at 1 p.m.