NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The visiting Worcester State Softball team swept a pair of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athlete Conference (MSACAC) tilts from MCLA taking game one 4-1 before earning a 2-0 win in the nightcap.
With the sweep, the Lancers improve to 16-16 overall and end the conference slate at 9-5. MCLA ends their season at 5-26 and was 2-12 in the conference.
GAME ONE: Worcester State 4, MCLA 1
In the opener, the teams were locked in a pitchers duel as it was scoreless through four innings of play. Worcester's Dakota Smith-Porter (Montague, Mass.) and MCLA's Morgan Watson (Portland, Ore.) were going pitch-for-pitch through four until the Lancers finally broke through in the 5th.
Rachel Couto (Chelmsford, Mass.) drove home Corrie Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.) who had singled earlier for a 1-0 edge. MCLA wasted little time in tying it up though as Alex Romano (Peabody, Mass.) reached on an error and came around when Watson grounded out making it 1-1 into the 7th inning.
In the 7th, Worcester State's Sydney Despres (Sterling, Mass.) belted a two run double to break the tie and she would come around on Kaci Panarelli's (Shrewsbury, Mass.) single for a 4-1 lead.
From there, Smith-Porter took control. She allowed just four hits and the Trailblazers went quietly in the 7th inning as she picked up the win.
The Lancers out-hit MCLA 10-4 in the opener as Smith-Porter helped her own cause by going 3-for-3 on the afternoon. Kristen Huston (Spencer, Mass.) ended with a 2-for-3 day for the Lancers.
GAME TWO: Worcester State 2, MCLA 0
Neither team mounted much offense in the nightcap as the teams combined for six hits. Lancer hurler Rachel Frisch (Worcester, Mass.) was outstanding while the duo of Kara Adams (Walden, N.Y.) and Kate Henault (W. Warwick, R.I.) were almost as good.
Frisch tossed a two hit shutout for her second win of the season. She struck out five Trailblazers. Adams went the first three innings and gave up the two runs to absorb the loss. Henault was outstanding out of the bullpen tossing the final four innings of shutout ball.
The Lancers got a run in the 2nd inning off Adams as Couto singled and eventually scored when Panarelli was caught stealing making it 1-0 Lancers. In the 3rd inning, Despres ripped another RBI double that scored Huston from first base for the 2-0 lead. From there, it was all Frisch.
MCLA went quietly in the final innings preserving the win for the Lancers.
The Lancers are the fourth seed in this week's MASCAC playoffs and will host Bridgewater State at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Rockwood Park.
Release Courtesy of MCLA Sports Information