Wentworth Chalks Up First Win of 2011

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – Junior Holly McLaughlin (Belmont, Mass.) and sophomore Erin Eastman (Harwich, Mass.) drove in two runs each as Massachusetts Maritime presented Head Coach Lindsay DeStefano with her first collegiate victory and gained a split of a non-league college softball doubleheader with Wentworth by posting an 8-7 nightcap triumph Tuesday afternoon at Alison Rollins Field.  The Leopards received two hits and a pair of RBI from junior Samantha Altieri (Lakeville, Mass.) to post their first triumph of the season with a 10-9 victory in the opener.

The host Buccaneers (1-11) grabbed a 1-0 second inning lead in the nightcap when sophomore Meghan Thibeault (Scituate, Mass.) stole home, and Massachusetts Maritime extended that margin to 6-0 in the third with a five-run outburst that featured two run singles by McLaughlin and Eastman as well as a run-scoring double off the bat of freshman Jaclyn Labrecque (Sutton, Mass.).  The visiting Leopards (1-30) got a run back in the fourth on junior Randi Swihart's (Gardner, Mass.) double, but the hosts plated two key insurance tallies in the bottom of the frame on a passed ball and an RBI groundout by sophomore Sarah Click (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) to extend their lead to 8-1.  Wentworth closed back to within three at 8-5 with a four-run fifth inning that included a two-run double by senior Bridget Souza (Medford, Mass.), an RBI two-bagger by Altieri and a run-scoring single off the bat of senior Lizz Harvey (McConnellsburg, Pa.), and the Leopards cut their deficit to one with two outs in the sixth on a Harvey RBI double that was followed by Souza's run-scoring single.  Altieri grounded out to end the threat, and the game ended due to darkness to give the Buccaneers the triumph.

Thibeault collected two of Massachusetts Maritime's eight hits in the second game victory, as sophomore Janelle Beaulieu (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) went the distance on the mound and fanned a pair for the Buccaneers, who also received a double off the bat of sophomore Rachel Johnson (South Chatham, Mass.).  Souza and Harvey combined for four hits and five RBI in the nightcap setback for Wentworth, which also received two hits off the bat of freshman Haylee Bacik (Lowell, Mass.).  Freshman Stephanie MacLeay (Ashley Falls, Mass.) allowed just two earned runs in suffering the setback inside the circle for the Leopards.

Wentworth jumped out to a 5-0 advantage in its first at-bat of the opening contest, as a pair of errors and Harvey's two-run double accounted for the tallies, but Massachusetts Maritime got an unearned run back in the bottom of the first and closed to within one with a three-run third inning rally that featured a two-run double off the bat of Thibeault.  The Buccaneers took a 6-5 edge in the fourth on a Click's RBI triple that was followed by a run-scoring groundout by Thibeault, but the Leopards plated a pair of fifth inning runs when Bacik drove in Harvey with a single and later scored on a wild pitch.  Altieri's sixth inning single extended the visitors' lead to 8-6, and Wentworth added two key insurance tallies in the seventh on an error and wild pitch to take a 10-6 lead to the bottom of the inning.  Massachusetts Maritime closed to within three on Beaulieu's RBI double, and Johnson followed with a two-run two-bagger to make it a one run game but could not plate the tying run to end the contest.

Souza rapped out three of 10 hits in the opening game victory for the Leopards, who also received two hits each from Bacik and Altieri.  MacLeay allowed just two earned runs to pick up her first collegiate win on the mound for Wentworth, as she struck out three along the way.  Thibeault collected two of Massachusetts Maritime's 11 hits in the opening game setback to go with three RBI, as the Buccaneers received two hits as well off the bats of Beaulieu and Johnson.  Labrecque allowed six earned runs in suffering the setback inside the circle for the hosts in going the distance.

Massachusetts Maritime hosts Becker in a non-league doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at Alison Rollins Field beginning at 3:30 p.m., while Wentworth travels to Paxton, Mass. on Thursday afternoon to take on Anna Maria in a Commonwealth Coast Conference twinbill that also begins at 3:30 p.m.

-Release Courtesy of Mass. Maritime Sports Information-