Burgner Fires No-Hitter in Leopard Sweep

BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Sam Burgner (Dalton, Mass.) fired a no-hitter while striking out a career-high 11 batters in the second game of a non-conference doubleheader to help the Wentworth softball team defeat Mass. Maritime, 8-0. The victory completed the sweep for the Leopards, who were victorious, 12-2, in the opener.

Burgner needed to throw just 55 pitches (44 for strikes) to pick up her third win (3-5) of the season. She set the first nine batters down by way of strikeouts and had a perfect game going until there was one out in the fifth when her throwing error broke up a string of 13 straight batters not reaching base.

In the opener, the Buccaneers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as junior Janelle Beaulieu (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) drew a leadoff walk, was sacrificed to second and went to third on a wild pitch. She came home on an RBI single from junior Megan Thibeault (Scituate, Mass.).

Wentworth countered with five of its own in the home half of the inning, keyed by a three-run triple off the bat of sophomore Haylee Bacik (Lowell, Mass.). Freshman Liz Glavin (Ipswich, Mass.) drew a bases-loaded walk earlier in the inning and Bacik would score on a wild pitch.

The Leopards added a run in the second when senior Samantha Altieri (Lakeville, Mass.) drew a leadoff walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch. An inning later Wentworth tallied three more runs, with Glavin scoring on a wild pitch, senior Randi Swihart (Gardner, Mass.) delivering an RBI single and eventually scoring on a single off the bat of sophomore Kelly Budzik (Fort Plain, N.Y.).

Wentworth took advantage of a pair of Mass. Maritime errors in the fourth inning, scoring three runs to make it a 12-1 game. Swihart drove in two of the three runs with a single through the left side.

Mass. Maritime rounded out the scoring in the fifth inning when sophomore Crystal Sherman (Charlton, Mass.), who led off by reaching on an error, scored on an error.

Budzik picked up the win (2-1), allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and striking out five. At the plate, Swihart was 3-for-3 with three RBI, Budzik added a pair of hits, and Bacik drove in three runs.

Sophomore Jennifer March (Pawtucket, R.I.) took the loss (0-2) for the Buccaneers, allowing 12 runs (10 earned) on seven hits and striking out four. Thibeault had both of Mass. Maritime's hits.

In the nightcap, Wentworth got two runs in the first inning on a two-run double from Bacik and broke the game open with a six-run second inning. Freshman Sam Curran (Quincy, Mass.) had an RBI single, Burgner helped her cause with an RBI single, and Swihart had a sacrifice fly. Wentworth's other three runs came as a result of a wild pitch, a passed ball, and an error.

Freshman Isabella Grassetti (Monson, Mass.) had two of Wentworth's seven hits in the contest, while Bacik drove in two runs. Grassetti and Glavin each scored two runs.

With the wins the Leopards run their win streak to three, improving to 5-6, and open Commonwealth Coast Conference play Friday at Gordon. Mass. Maritime falls to 0-4 and hosts Maine Maritime on Saturday.