CLERMONT, Fla. - Playing in its penultimate doubleheader of its Florida Spring Break trip, the Worcester State University softball team suffered a pair of losses Thursday at The Spring Games at Hancock Park. The Lancers opened the day with an 11-1 loss to Wheaton College (Ill.), before falling 8-5 to Carroll University.
With the losses, Worcester State drops to 0-8 on the year.
GAME 1 - Wheaton 11, Worcester State 1 (5 innings)
A big first inning from Wheaton was all the offense the Thunder would need as Worcester State fell in five innings to open the day.
Wheaton benefited from three bases loaded walks in the first inning to jump out to an early 5-0 lead before Worcester State got a chance at the dish. Junior Kaiulani Ennis (Swansea, Mass.) put Worcester State on the board in the bottom of the first, driving in classmate Samantha Stake (Worcester, Mass.) from third on a base hit to left field. That, however, would be the extent of the Worcester State offense in the game.
Hannah Clark hit a third inning solo home run for the Thunder, and Kelly Thornton hit a three-run double in the fourth to help lift Wheaton to the victory.
Junior Carly Zielinski (Monson, Mass.) took the loss for Worcester State on the rubber, allowing five earned in a third of an inning.
GAME 2 - Carroll 8, Worcester State 5
Worcester State led for the majority of the contest in the night cap before a five-run sixth from the Pioneers saw the Lancers suffer the 8-5 loss.
An RBI single from senior Katie Polselli (Charlton, Mass.) in the top of the first put Worcester State on the board first in the contest, and the Lancers tacked onto the lead in the top of the third with RBI singles from Sam Maglione (Lancaster, Mass.) and Rachel Bigelow (Westborough, Mass.) to go ahead 3-0.
An RBI single from Sierra Grubor put Carroll on the board in the bottom of the third, but Monica Ferrazzani (North Reading, Mass.) drew a bases load walk in the top of the fifth to put the Lancers back up by three at 4-1.
Carroll responded with a pair of runs to the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 4-3. An RBI wall-ball double from Ennis added some insurance for the Lancers in the top of the sixth, but Carroll would plate five in the bottom of the inning to put the game out of reach. Freshman Katelyn Schneider delivered the back-breaking blow in the inning, recording a two-run single to break a tie in the inning. Worcester State was unable to mount a rally in the seventh to suffer the defeat.
Senior Rachel Frisch (Worcester, Mass.) took the loss in the contest, allowing five earned runs in 0.2 innings pitched. Freshman Molly Glynn (Abington, Mass.) was solid in her start, throwing four innings and allowing one earned on five hits, but was credited with a no-decision. Ennis, Polselli, and Maglione all finished with two hits offensively to lead the Lancers.
Worcester State will close out its Florida Spring Break trip on Friday with contests against SUNY Potsdam and Loras at the Osceola County Softball Complex.
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