LEICESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University softball team dropped a pair of contests to Becker College on Thursday afternoon in non-conference action at Russell Field. Becker won 5-1 in game one, before walking off to a 7-6 win in the nightcap.
With the losses, Worcester State falls to 0-14 on the season, while Becker improves to 3-9.
Game 1 - Becker 5, Worcester State 1
The first Worcester State home run of the season came off the bat of senior Katie Polselli (Charlton, Mass.), but the Lancers couldn't get any other runs across the plate in a 5-1 loss to the Hawks.
Polselli's shot, a screaming liner over the wall in right center field, put Worcester State ahead 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning, but Becker came back in a big way in the bottom of the inning. Lauren Niemann tied the score on an RBI fielder's choice, but two batters later, Kelsey Weston delivered the crushing blow to the Lancers. On a 2-2 pitch with two outs, Weston nailed one over the fence in left for a three-run home run, putting Becker ahead 4-1.
Worcester State loaded the bases in the top of the fifth after three straight two-out singles from Monica Ferrazzani (North Reading, Mass.), Samantha Stake (Worcester, Mass.), and Ashley Lynch (Shrewsbury, Mass.), but they were left stranded, and the Hawks maintained their 4-1 lead.
Becker added an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth for some insurance to push the score to 5-1, which would hold up as the final as the Lancers went down 1-2-3 in the seventh.
Freshman Molly Glynn (Abington, Mass.) took the loss in the circle, allowing four earned on four hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Senior Rachel Frisch (Worcester, Mass.) was sharp in relief, allowing just one hit and no earned runs in 2.1 innings. Stake and senior Kristen Huston (Spencer, Mass.) each had a pair of hits to lead the Lancers offensively.
Game 2 - Becker 7, Worcester State 6
Becker rallied to erase a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to complete the sweep on the evening
The Lancers scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning to jump out to the early lead. Junior Carly Zielinski (Monson, Mass.) drove in the game's first run with an RBI fielder's choice, followed up by an RBI groundout from Huston.
Becker quickly jumped out in front however, scoring three in the bottom of the first and one in the bottom of the second to take a 4-2 lead.
The score was still 4-2 in the top of the fifth inning, when Zielinski shot her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot, over the center field fence to give the Lancers a 5-4 lead. An RBI single from Polselli in the top of the sixth extended Worcester State's lead to 6-4.
Becker battled back in the bottom of the seventh however, starting off with a leadoff home run from freshman Emily Iacovelli. Moments later, a bases loaded, two-out walk tied the score, before Mary Wagner walked it off for the Hawks with a blooper behind third base, scoring Vasia Murphy from third.
Worcester State roped a season-high 13 hits in the game two defeat. Lynch and junior Kaiulani Ennis (Swansea, Mass.) led the way with three hits each for the Lancers.
Worcester State will be back in action on Saturday as the Lancers open conference play against Westfield State. First pitches for the doubleheader are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
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