Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Softball team (20-13, 7-3) returned to action today in their second to last conference slate of games, this time taking on the Salem State Vikings (10-22, 5-5) in what could be a pivotal postseason deciding series. Salem has managed to claim a back from Framingham State, who earlier this season claimed two on Worcester State, so the Lancers look to solidify their postseason seeding with decisive victories over the Vikings.
Final- Game 1 (5-Innings)
Worcester State: 8
Salem State: 0
Final- Game 2
Worcester State: 7
Salem State: 0
How it Happened:
The Lancers opened up with the first at bat and capitalized in the top of the first inning, as senior Emily Bartlett (Lowell, MA) would single to right field to send in sophomore Amanda Adamuska (Dudley, MA), who was on base after a deep double to left field. The Lancers would force a three and out in the bottom of the inning while both teams would remain scoreless in the second.
Worcester would again go full offensive power in the third, recording seven runs as the Lancers capitalized on an error by the Vikings to get the scoring started. A Bartlett contact would result in the fielders attempting to get the out in motion but an error on the third baseman would see sophomore Bailey Tammaro (Fitchburg, MA) home and keep the bases loaded. A walk on first year Peyton Maloney (West Boylston, MA) would bring in Adamuska while a junior Morgan Keefe (Dracut, MA) single to right field would send across Bartlett. Tammaro would get another go at bat, this time rocking a triple to right field to bring in Maloney, Keefe and Cali Brouillard (Millbury, MA) to claim the 8-0 lead.
The Vikings would be unable to answer in the third and would remain shut out through five forcing an end to the game in just five innings.
Maloney would go the full five innings recording six strikeouts in the start.
The second game of the series would see Bartlett make another start to close out game two. She would get one strikeout and her defensive style of pitching would allow for her infielders to get the rest of the outs to open up the first inning of action. Worcester would be shut out of scoring themselves in the first and it would take until the second inning for the first run to be scored as a Tammaro single to left field would send Brouillard across. Junior Abigail Koziol (Lunenburg, MA) would add an additional run in the third when she knocked the ball to left field for a single that would bring in sophomore Emma Lapoint (Westfield, MA).
The game would remain without another score until the top of the fifth when senior Lauren Dube (Leominster, MA) would join the left field fun with a single of her own that would send across Bartlett to extend Worcester's lead to three. The fast feet of sophomore Carisa Andrews (Medford, MA) would bring a fourth run as Andrews would manage to steal home. A follow up sac by sophomore Jayden Kelly (Tyngsboro, MA) would send across Camden Heenan (Webster, MA) to extend the Lancers lead to 5-0.
The scoring would continue in the sixth as Bartlett would record a triple that would send Lapoint home while Koziol would get a forced ground rule double that would score Bartlett with the play and push the Lancer lead to 7-0. The Vikings would attempt to not leave the day without a run in the bottom of the seventh but Bartlett would force two strikeouts and a pop to close down the game.
Bartlett would record seven Ks in the complete game appearance, allowing just a single.
What's Next:
With the final out, Worcester moves to (22-13, 9-3) on the year and will shift their focus to an out of conference matchup at Wellesley next Wednesday with the first pitch of game one set for 3pm.