Softball Sweeps Fitchburg State: Smith-Porter Throws Complete-Game Shutout in Opener; Salisbury Leads Lancers in Nightcap

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Worcester State University softball team swept the Fitchburg State Falcons in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader in a Thursday afternoon twinbill at Coolidge Park.

The Lancers came atop of a pitching duel in the first contest, 3-0, before completing the sweep with a 15-hit outburst, en-route to an 8-1 victory in the night cap.

GAME ONE: Worcester State 3, Fitchburg State 0

With the scored knotted at 0-0 in the sixth junior Kaci Panarelli (Shrewsbury, Mass.) connected a two-out, two-run single before sophomore Haley Scola (Worcester, Mass.) followed with run scoring single to lift Worcester State to a 3-0 game one win.

Worcester State's senior Dakota Smith-Porter (Montague, Mass.) went the distance and earned the complete game shutout, giving up just four hits with two strikeouts. Fitchburg State hurler Galen Kerr (Concord, Mass.) went seven strong for the Green & Gold, allowing three runs (0 earned) on five hits, striking out five and walking a pair.

Kerr opened the game with back-to-back one-two-three frames in the first and second, marking the start of a pitcher duel as Smith-Porter was equally as effective for Worcester State.

Neither offense could respond to the arms on the mound, and for Kerr, she carried a no-hitter to the fourth inning when Kristen Huston (Spencer, Mass.) reached on a bunt single before being stranded on second base to end the frame, preserving the scoreless tie.

In the top of the sixth, Worcester State was finally able to break through. It started as Huston reached for the second consecutive time via bunt single before stealing second base. Following a walk and an error, the bases were loaded with two-outs when Panerelli laced a single into right field, scoring Huston and Sydney Despres (Sterling, Mass.), while Scola added an RBI single that plated senior Rachel Couto (Chelmsford, Mass.) for the 3-0 advantage.

Fitchburg State put runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to capitalize as Smith-Porter, shut the door in the seventh, scattering two hits in the inning to preserve the 3-0 final.

Worcester State's Huston picked up a pair of hits with one run scored, while Panarelli finished with one hit and a pair of RBI.

Fitchburg State freshman outfielder McKenzie Lambert (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) paced the Falcons offensively picking up her third multi-hit game of the year, while senior Katie Gildea (Bedford, Mass.) and sophomore Kaylee Sylvestre (Central Falls, R.I.) added one hit each.

GAME TWO: Worcester State 8, Fitchburg State 1

Worcester State saw a burst of offense in game two, scoring eight runs on seven extra base hits, en-route to an 8-1 game two win to complete the sweep.  

With the score 4-0 in the top of the fifth, the Lancers padded their lead, scoring two on consecutive doubles from Corrie Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Courtney Salisbury (Cranston, R.I.) that upped Worcester State's lead to 6-0.

Fitchburg State got a run across in the bottom of the fifth as Michelle LeBlanc (Ashburnham, Mass.) started the frame with a double to centerfield, moving to third base on a ground out from Nicole Sylvester (Everett, Mass.) before sophomore Hayley McCarthy (Lawrence, Mass.) got the team going, putting a single between the third baseman and shortstop to bring home LeBlanc (6-1).

The Lancers responded in the following frame when Panarelli singled home Despres, while Scola doubled to center to bring home Monica Ferrazzani (N. Reading, Mass.) to extend its lead to 8-1.

The Green and Gold threatened in the bottom half of the seventh as Emily Comtois (Windham, N.H.) started the inning with a double into right centerfield gap, followed by a pair of walks to Leblanc and McCarthy to load the bases. But Frisch induced a game-ending double play, resulting in the 8-1 game to final to secure the sweep for the Lancers.

Fitchburg State was paced by Comtois and LeBlanc, who combined for two hits, including two doubles and a run scored, while McCarthy added an RBI base hit.

For the Lancers, Salisbury hit 4-for-5 with a double, homerun, two runs scored and a pair of RBI, while Panarelli finished 2-for-4 with two RBI.

In the circle, Sylvestre took the loss for the Falcons, giving up eight runs on 15 hits with one strikeout in seven innings of work, while Lancer sophomore Rachel Frisch (Worcester, Mass.) earned the win, allowing one run on just four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

The Falcons (11-16, 6-6 MASCAC) travel to Salem State University this Saturday for their final regular season games of the 2017 campaign, starting at 12:00 P.M. For the Lancers (12-16, 7-5 MASCAC) six games remain on their schedule with a non-conference affair against Clark University coming up tomorrow at 2:00 P.M.

Release Courtesy of Fitchburg State Sports Information