Softball Drops A Pair of MASCAC Games at Mass. Maritime

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – The MCLA Softball team continued their slate of MASCAC games this afternoon, traveling to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy for a doubleheader. MCLA's Hailey Peabody and Justina Pardi each hit home runs for the Trailblazers, but MMA's Kelsey Booker hit two of her own to power the Buccaneers to a pair of victories.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024
• Game #1: MCLA 4, Mass. Maritime 9
• Game #2: MCLA 6, Mass. Maritime 7
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 6-17 (MASCAC 0-6) | Mass. Maritime Buccaneers 11-9 (MASCAC 2-8)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • Hailey Peabody wasted little time getting MCLA in front, lining a scorcher into the right-centerfield gap and motoring around for an inside-the-park home run. The home run was her first of the season and the third of her collegiate career.
  • The lead was short-lived, however, with the hosts scoring two in the bottom of the inning before the Trailblazers put together a one-out rally in the top of the second inning. Madyson Torres started the rally with a lined single through the five-and-a-half-hole. Hannah Mitchem followed with a four-pitch walk to put runners at first and second for Peabody who drove the first pitch over the right fielder's head, scoring both Torres and Mitchem. Peabody moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored when Ella Staffier looped a 3-2 pitch into right field, putting MCLA up 4-2 through an inning and a half.
  • For the second time in as many innings, MCLA was unable to hold the lead, giving up four runs in the bottom of the frame. The Buccaneers added two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth inning.
  • After a shaky start, allowing the four runs in the first two innings, Mass. Maritime's Jennamarie Klemp settled in and finished with five hitless innings to earn the win, improving her record to 6-5. The Trailblazers Sarah Williams went the distance for the visitors for her 11^th complete game of the season but still saw her record fall to 4-8.
• Game #2
  • MCLA started game number two with another first-inning run. Peabody led off the game with a lined single to the shortstop and then stole second base. Two batters later, Peabody was off on contact when Justina Pardi's pop-up on the infield was mishandled by the first baseman, and she came around to score from second.
  • The Buccaneers scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead before the Trailblazers took the lead back in the top of the fifth inning with another two-out rally. Staffier started the rally with a double into the left-center field gap. Pitcher Lora Woyton then helped her own cause with an RBI single back through the circle to score Staffier to tie the game at two. Pardi followed up by sending a 0-1 pitch to straightaway center, where centerfielder Ava Rolfe's diving effort through the collapsable fence was just short. The home run was the first of the senior's career, putting MCLA ahead 4-2.
  • The teams each scored a run in the sixth inning. The Trailblazers' run was again scored with two outs after Ezmeralda Albright flipped a ball into the left-center field gap and then slid into second with a double. Mitchem moved her to third with a productive ground out to the right side, and Peabody then picked up her first RBI of the game and fourth of the afternoon with a double through the middle to bring Albright around.
  • MCLA added another run in the top of the seventh. Woyton led off with a single up the middle and moved to second when Pardi was hit by a pitch. Maddy Teta then collected her 11^th RBI with a lined single into center field.
  • In the bottom of the seventh, the Buccaneers won in walk-off fashion, scoring four runs on three hits. They finished the game when Kelsey Booker's two-run homer to left-center touched down on the other side of the fence.
  • Ashleigh Catlett threw a complete game for Mass. Maritime, striking out six batters and upping her record to 5-4. Woyton also threw a complete game, her seventh of the season, but her record fell to 2-7.

UP NEXT:

On Monday, MCLA will be back in action when they travel to Westfield State for a MASCAC matchup with the Owls at the WSU Softball Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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