Solt eclipses 100 strikeouts; Sousa collects 100th career hit

Fitchburg, MA. – The Fitchburg State University Softball team swept the Lynx of Lesley University this afternoon in non-conference action from the Donna Lee Withington Memorial Softball Field as the Falcons collected a 7-0 victory in the opener before completing the sweep with a 7-5 triumph in the nightcap.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 7, Lesley 0 (GM1)
Score: Fitchburg State 7, Lesley 5 (GM2)

Records: Fitchburg State (7-26, 3-7 MASCAC) I Lesley (6-18, 1-1 NAC)

How It Happened

Game One

Fitchburg State opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning as senior Isabella Sousa (Charlton, MA) laced a bases clearing double to right field, while sophomore Jessica Mueller (Fitchburg, MA), junior Shaelyn Burns (North Attleboro, MA) and sophomore Danielle Forth (Templeton, MA) added RBI base knocks for the 6-0 advantage.

The Falcons secured the victory in the bottom of the sixth when freshman Carolyn Brodeur (Ashby, MA) tripled to left field and crossed the plate following a fielding miscue, resulting in the 7-0 final.

By The Numbers

• Sousa led the way for the Falcons, hitting 2-of-3 with two doubles, one run scored and three RBI
• Junior Adria McKenzie (Lowell, MA) added two hits and a run scored for the Green and Gold
• Junior Madison Solt (Salem, NH) collected the victory for Fitchburg State, giving up just four hits and five K's in the complete game effort
• For the Lynx, sophomore Leah St. John (New Ipswich, NH) went 1-for-3 with a double
• Senior Emma Hodgkins (Raymond, NH) suffered the setback for Lesley, allowing seven runs (4 earned) on 11 hits and three strikeout over six innings pitched

Game Two

Fitchburg State grabbed a 3-0 edge in the bottom of the first as McKenzie singled up the middle and scored on an RBI double down the right field line by newcomer Emily Bennett (Gorham, ME) before freshman Kaleigh Papierski (Webster, MA) tripled to center field to bring in Bennett and Brodeur.

Lesley knotted the contest at 3-3 in the top of second with junior Madison Hebert (Milford, NH) driving in sophomore Isabella Moscoso (El Cajon, CA) and classmate Lauren Martin (Lexington, MA) with a single to left field, while sophomore Sydney McAvoy (Billerica, MA) brought home graduate student Jess O'Neill (Reading, MA) with a groundout.

The Falcons regained the lead in the bottom of the third when Brodeur singled, moved to second on a single off the bat of Sousa and crossed the plate on a RBI single to left center from newcomer Priscilla Dillon (Glennville, GA) for the 4-3 edge.

The Lynx answered back in the top of the fifth as Hodgkins and sophomore Shae Thomas (Clayton, NC) singled before Martin registered an RBI double to center to drive in Hodgkins, while Thomas crossed the plate on a fielding miscue for the 5-4 advantage.

The Green and Gold battled back in their half of the fifth with Bennett reaching on a fielding miscue and coming around to score on an RBI double by Dillon before Papierski knocked in Dillon with a single up the middle to make the score 6-5.

Fitchburg State upped the lead to 7-5 in the bottom of the sixth when Burns doubled down the left field line, advanced to third on fly out and scored on a sacrifice fly to left field off the bat of McKenzie.

By The Numbers

• Papierski led the way for the Falcons, going 2-ofr-3 with a triple with three RBI
• Dillon finished 2-for-3 with a double, one run scored and two RBI
• Senior Sydney Gabay (Bohemia, NY) earned the win for Fitchburg State, yielding five runs (2 earned) on seven hits and three strikeouts in the complete game effort
• For the Lynx, Martin hit 3-of-4 with a double, one run scored and one RBI
• Hebert took the loss for Lesley, giving up seven runs (5 earned) on 11 hits and three K's over six innings of work
• 3rd meeting between the Falcons and Lynx on the softball field with Fitchburg State 2-1 all-time when taking on Lesley

Up Next

Falcons return to action tomorrow when they travel to New England College to take on the Pilgrims for a non-conference twin bill, starting at 3:00PM.

STAY CONNECTED:

- For the latest on Fitchburg State University Athletics, follow the Falcons via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.