Trailblazers over-powered by Bears

The sun was nowhere to be seen on a frigid Patriot's day afternoon as the MCLA Trailblazers (9-17) took on the Bridgewater Bears (21-9) in a doubleheader.

Game 1 opened with the Trailblazers scoring one in the bottom of the first frame after the Bears went down in order against pitcher Hadley Ameen (North Adams, MA). Kaitland Hager (Springfield, MA) walked to begin things followed by a Rachel Desautels (Readsboro, VT) single. Kate Ouellette (Norwood, MA) hammered the ball for a double, scoring Hager. However, this was to be the Trailblazers' only run in the game.

After the end of the first inning, both benches remained as cold as the midday winds as the only two hits until the top of the sixth came from Bridgewater. The Bears' bats sprung to life as the sixth inning opened. Tracey Sanko (Windsor, CT) reached on a single and was moved along by bunt singles from both Alyn LeBlanc (Somerset, MA) and Lauren Cucinotta (Franklin, MA). Penny King (Hanover, MA) stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered the go ahead hit with a single that scored Sanko and Cucinotta. Rachel Sprague (Duxbury, MA) bunted for a hit followed by a double from Michaela Ferreira (Fall River, MA) which scored two runs leaving the Trailblazers behind 4-1.

A bit of controversy erupted as Sprague appeared to get hit by Ferreira's ground ball as it made its way across the right infield. Coach Kristin Parzych and many of the Trailblazer players on the field as well as a few spectators claimed to have both heard and seen Sprague get hit, making the ball dead. The Trailblazers did not get the call however and the two runs were not changed. Defensive troubles hurt the Trailblazers as well as a throwing error also cost them two runs. The Bears were relentless and as the Trailblazers recorded the final out in the top of the sixth, the score stood at 10-1 Bears. The Trailblazers could not return the favor and were handed their first loss of the day.

Game 2 began as tensions ran high as the Bears' enthusiastic cheers and shouts could be heard from the adjacent baseball field. Amidst the same chilling winds and darkening clouds looming overhead, the Trailblazers fought to shake off their earlier defeat. However, as with the previous game, their bats remained cold and hits were scarce and hard to come by as Bridgewater began tacking away at the Trailblazers' pitcher Jen McMurray (Margaretville, NY) starting with one in the second inning.

In the top of the second inning, the Trailblazers began to show some troubles as both Sanko and Sprague reached on errors with Sanko eventually scoring. On the second throwing error which allowed Sprague to reach, two runs scored with all three in the inning being unearned. Bridgewater tacked on two more in the fifth and one more in the sixth and then ran away with the game in the seventh inning. They scored four more runs on six hits with RBIs from Sprague, Ferreira, Casey Hill (Randolph, MA), and Melissa McNamara (Stoughton, MA).

Bridgewater's pitcher, Jamie Ducinski (Duxbury, MA), shut the Trailblazers down all game as they sought to split the doubleheader. Ducinski pitched a gem as the Bears brought home eleven runs on their way to an 11-0 victory and a sweep of the Trailblazers.

The Trailblazers' next game is away at Skidmore, April 23^rd at 3:30 PM and the second game at 5:00 PM. Their next home game is April 25^th when they play Salem State in a doubleheader with games starting at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM.