Softball splits games with Bridgewater and UMass Boston

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor Framingham vs. Bridgewater The Framingham State Rams opened MASCAC conference play splitting games with the Bridgewater State Bears March 28. The Rams were bested in the first game 8-3, but came back for an 8-4 win in the second. Game one proved to be fast paced from the first pitch, with Bridgewater's first at bat resulting in a run and a hit. Captain Brooke Grassia, a senior and second baseman, was first on base for the Rams, on a walk, then stole second on a wild pitch. Contact from shortstop Abby Behrikis, a senior, advanced Grassia to third base, which placed her in a position to score. On a sacrifice fly from catcher Jocelyn Pepe, a freshman, FSU plated its first run of the game. A fielding error from the Rams during the second inning yielded three runs for the Bears, only two of which were made up when Grassia and Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson, a freshman, scored. No more runs were recorded for either team until the fifth inning, when a double from Bridgewater brought two runners home. Bridgewater followed up a silent sixth inning with three hits and two more runs in the seventh. The Rams were unable to decrease the deficit, and the game ended 8-3 in favor of the Bears. Combined, pitchers Audrey Gauthier and Julie Chisholm, both freshmen, accumulated six strikeouts during the first match. Gauthier said in terms of her strategy on the mound, she “constantly tries to attack the zone early and get ahead in the count.” Bridgewater opened game two with a home run in the first inning. After holding the Rams scoreless during the bottom of the first, BSU plated one more run at the top of the second. Framingham’s first run of the game came from Pepe, who scored on a single from first baseman Ava Gray, a freshman. The Bears came out strong at bat in the third inning, scoring two more runs before a catch from center fielder Gianna Paolina, a freshman. FSU flew past Bridgewater in the bottom of the third. A double from Grassia and a single from left fielder Isabella MacDonald, a freshman, put both players in scoring position, with a single from Behrikis bringing in Grassia and a single from third baseman Eliza Carignan, a sophomore, bringing in MacDonald. Pepe popped a ball up to center field, with her sacrifice fly resulting in a run from Beherikis. On the next play, an RBI single from Paolino brought Carignan home. MacDonald’s on-base percentage so far this season is 0.429, an impressive number for her first year. MacDonald said her best plate appearances tend to be those she goes into with a clear mind. “From Florida to now, I have been able to recognize the changes I needed to make, and have already seen a change in performance with much more successful at bats,” she added. Following Framingham’s four runs, Bridgewater struggled to make contact, connecting on only one pitch for the remainder of the game. Freshman pitcher Sydney Bednarz, backed by a solid Rams’ defense, held back BSU’s offensive attempts. At the bottom of the sixth, Etemad-Gilbertson and Grassia made it on base with singles. MacDonald hit a double to the outfield, bringing in one run. On the next play, Carignan doubled, the hit scoring both Grassia and MacDonald, ending the game 8-4 in favor of the Rams. These games against BSU were the first conference matches of the season for the Rams, helping to give the team a sense of how they should prepare coming into the season. MacDonald said, “The results of our first match helped us see the reality of what we will face in the conference.” Framingham vs. UMass Boston In a doubleheader against the Beacons of UMass Boston, the Rams came away with a 4-2 loss and a 3-0 win. UMass brought in one run during the first inning of game one. Framingham’s first at bat resulted in a double from MacDonald on a hard shot to center field and an RBI single from Carignan. During the second inning, UMass scored another run on a sacrifice hit down the third base line. The Rams, however, were unable to tie up the score. Framingham’s fielders quickly ended scoring for the Beacons during the third inning with a caught fly ball and a double play. The Rams’ next at bat led to a run from MacDonald on a single from Pepe. No runs were scored during the next two innings, the stalemate broken when in the sixth inning, a UMass runner crossed the plate as a result of a fielding error from FSU. On the next play, a runner scored on another player’s single to deep right field. With FSU unable to make up the ground, the game ended 4-2 in favor of the Beacons. The first inning of game two yielded no results, with no hits, runs, or walks for either team. Coming into the second inning, Framingham was on top of their game defensively. Right fielder Marina Cadena, a sophomore, caught two hard line drives, while Bednarz struck a batter out swinging. A single from Cadena brought in a run from Etemad-Gilbertson, ending the inning with FSU in the lead. Grassia threw out two runners, and Etemad-Gilbertson caught a foul ball in left field, keeping UMass from plating any runs during the third. The Rams added two more runs to the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning. Grassia and MacDonald reached the bases on singles, then advanced to third and second base, respectively. Hits from Etemad-Gilbertson and Pepe sent the two runners home, bringing the score to 3-0 as the third inning came to a close. Framingham’s fielders held UMass scoreless for the remainder of the game, allowing them only one hit over the course of four innings. The Rams tallied four hits during that time, but each runner was left on base. At the conclusion of the seventh inning, Framingham stood victorious with a score of 3-0 over UMass Boston. The Beacons came into the game with a record of 15-0, before FSU dealt the team their first loss of the season. Grassia credited the Rams’ success to simply “wanting to win.” She said, “It doesn’t really matter who we’re playing or what any records are - the bottom line is that we hold ourselves to a standard where the expectation is to play good, solid softball and come out with a win.” The positive results of both of these tough games can be attributed to the team’s time in Florida over spring break. MacDonald said with the team composed mostly of freshmen, the week of games and team bonding helped the Rams figure out a better game strategy. She said, “Being in Florida, it gave us a time to see where all of our players did best.” Grassia said the trip to Florida was the “perfect ending to a long preseason.” She said, “We work so hard in the gyms, getting in as many swings and reps as we can where everything is controlled. … The 10 back-to-back games allow the freshmen to figure out what the speed of college softball is like and for us all to see each other really in action.” As the season progresses, Grassia said the team will continue to work hard, showing up to practice and playing better and better opponents. She said, “We are a very young team with multiple freshmen starting in the field, and everything will fall into place. I am confident that if we keep our winning mindset and push ourselves to be the best we can, we will have great games going into the conference.” The Rams' next game will be against MCLA for a conference matchup April 5.