By Sophia Oppedisano
Asst. Sports Editor
Framingham State softball is fighting for their place in the MASCAC standings with only one week of regular season matchups left to play.
After a three-game win streak against Lasell and Lesley on April 23 and 25, respectively, the Rams had a tumultuous doubleheader against the UMass Boston Beacons April 27.
The Rams lost both games at the hands of the Beacons, with the first loss decided by two errors in the seventh inning.
The Rams were unable to get the bats going, and the second game ended in a shutout 4-0 loss.
Ally Moran started the first game against the Beacons and recorded nine strikeouts. She then made the start in game one of a doubleheader against the Wentworth Institute Leopards April 30.
When Moran stepped into the circle against the Leopards, she officially broke the record for most pitching appearances in program history with her 100th career appearance.
Moran’s pitching counterpart, Caroline Hughes, stepped in during the third inning when the Leopards gave Moran trouble and jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
The Rams kept the Leopards quiet and came back to take a 5-4 lead as Gwendolyn Carpenter batted in the go-ahead run.
Unable to hold the line, the Rams ultimately fell in the seventh inning as the Leopards came back to win 6-5.
Moran came back to the circle to start game two. She faced 29 batters before Hughes stepped in during the fifth inning, with a score of 0-0.
Hughes and Moran are familiar with the tag-team pitching dynamic this season, usually alternating start appearances or stepping in mid-game if the other is taken out.
Hughes said the duo is “really continuing to improve on having first-pitch strikes, producing ground balls and pop flies within the infield.
“We’re really trying to produce as many quick outs as we can so we can get back into the box to produce more runs for our team,” Hughes said.
The Leopards created a myriad of scoring chances, but the Rams were able to hold them off until the sixth inning, when the Leopards scored five runs, two of which were the result of errors by the Rams.
Kelsey McGuill homered deep to center field to make it 5-1 in the sixth and give the Rams life, but it wasn’t enough to get the bats going before the game ended at 5-1.
The Rams have struggled with errors in their last four games with a combined 11 in the doubleheaders against UMass Boston and Wentworth.
Hughes said, “Errors are definitely tough, but the best thing to do is keep yourself calm and just be able to trust the process.
“Softball is also a game of failure, so it happens. If we just keep our heads up and just get the next one, that’s the best thing as long as you trust yourself and trust your teammates behind you,” she added.
Freshman Haley Jensen said the biggest goal the team will be focusing on is “not getting down on ourselves after we make an error. … We just have to get a little better at picking ourselves up and not getting down on our teammates.”
At press time, the Rams split a doubleheader against Nichols College May 2 with Hughes getting the victory in the circle.
They currently rank third in the MASCAC.
The Rams will play conference opponent Fitchburg State University at home May 4 before beginning playoff play.