Softball Swept by MASCAC Leader

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA softball team experienced one of its largest tests of the season this afternoon when it welcomed the undefeated and MASCAC-leading Westfield State University Owls to Shewcraft Field. The Trailblazers were given the opportunity to sharpen their skills against the class of the conference and should come away with their heads held high, as the games were more competitive than the scores would imply.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
• Game #1: Westfield 21, MCLA 1
• Game #2: Westfield 7, MCLA 1
• Records: Westfield State University Owls 24-0 (MASCAC 8-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 14-12 (MASCAC 4-4)
• Series History: Westfield State leads the all-time series 61-33. The Owls swept the meetings of the team last season by scores of 6-4 & 7-2 in Westfield on April 21, 2025. The Owls also won the first-ever meeting of the teams by the score of 18-2 in Westfield on May 5, 1975.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • The scoring in the first game of the afternoon started in the top of the second inning when Westfield pushed across a pair of runs on three hits. RBI singles by Lyla Dwyer and Rylie Camacho.
  • The Owls extended their lead with four runs on five hits in the third inning. Kassidy LaTour brought home the first run with an RBI double down the right field line. Two batters later, Caroline O'Donnell plated two runs with a single back through the middle before Dwyer capped the scoring with a single down the left field line, bringing the score to 6-0 after two and a half innings.
  • The Trailblazers responded with their lone scoring opportunity in the bottom of the third inning when Hailey Peabody (W. Springfield, MA) tripled into the rightfield corner and then scored on a single through the right side of the infield by Nevaeh Lopez (Pittsfield, MA).
  • Westfield pulled away with a pair of crooked-number innings, scoring seven runs in the fourth and eight in the fifth innings to secure the 21-1 final score.
  • Joss Mettey allowed one run over three innings to pick up the win, improving to 8-0. Allie Mienaltowski took the loss for MCLA, dropping to 6-6.
• Game #2
  • While the Owls would come away with the victory in the second game of the doubleheader, the Trailblazers stood their ground through the first four innings, allowing only a single run through those four frames on a first-inning home run by Sarah Hough.
  • That trend would stop in the fifth inning when Westfield dropped a four-spot on the home team, with an RBI single by Dwyer, a two-run single up the middle by Hough, and an RBI double by LaTour.
  • In the sixth frame, the Owls stretched their lead to it's apex, scoring two more runs on just one hit, capitalizing on a foul sac fly by Arielle Ostman and a dropped fly ball by Rylie Camacho.
  • MCLA didn't go quietly, mounting a threat in the bottom of the seventh to ruin the visitors clean sheet. Hannah Gilbert (Colrain, MA) started the rally with a one out double into left field and scored two batters later when Samantha Wheeler (Agawam, MA) singled through the right side of the infield to let the Owls know that there was still fight in the Trailblazer squad that would be looking forward to meeting the Owls again in the playoffs.
  • Both starting pitchers would go the distance to finish with complete games. Angelina Vartuli scattered four hits over seven innings while striking out 13 against only one walk, improving her record to 7-0. MCLA's Gilbert allowed six hits over seven innings and would absorb the loss to fall to 6-5.

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it plays host to Bridgewater State at Shewcraft Field for a MASCAC matchup with the Bears. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.

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