Softball dominates Mass. Maritime in doubleheader

By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor In a set of conference games April 14, the Framingham State Rams defeated the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers with a score of 6-2 in game one and a score of 9-4 in game two. These wins improve the Rams’ conference record to 7-3 and their overall record to 11-13. Framingham took the field at the top of the first inning, with junior Peyton Farris on the mound. After Farris struck the first batter out swinging, the second sent a ground ball to freshman Nina Buda at shortstop, who threw the ball to sophomore Ava Gray at first base for the second out. The Rams closed out the first half of the inning with another strikeout by Farris, catching the batter out looking. A strong lead-off performance by FSU sophomore Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson saw a single to left field, followed up by a successful bunt by sophomore Isabella MacDonald. Captain Eliza Carignan, a junior, was next to bat for the Rams, loading the bases with a walk. A wild pitch during Gray’s at-bat allowed all runners on base to advance, scoring Etemad-Gilbertson. Gray’s at-bat yielded a walk, then a wild pitch during the following at-bat allowed MacDonald to cross the plate and Carignan and Gray to advance to third and second, respectively. Sophomore Amanda Roche finished her at-bat by grounding out to second, but her contact brought Carignan home and moved Gray to third. Captain Jocelyn Pepe, a sophomore, grounded out to third, then sophomore Giana Paolino lined out to third, ending the first inning. Early singles by the Buccaneers’ fourth and fifth batters put runners in scoring position, allowing a hit by Mass. Maritime’s Cassie Lynch to get one across the plate, bringing the score to 3-1. Plays by Farris, Carignan, and freshman Mikayla Yuricheck closed out the top of the inning. Despite successes by Buda and Etemad-Gilbertson at the plate, no runs were scored by FSU in the second inning. The third inning passed quickly, with two outs made by Yuricheck and one made by Buda. In the bottom of the inning, Carignan, Gray, and Roche all made contact, but were each thrown or caught out. FSU kept the Buccaneers scoreless in the fourth inning as well, with a catch by Paolino in right field and plays by Yuricheck and Carignan in the infield. Pepe and Paolino struggled at the plate. Buda singled, allowing her to advance to third on an error. This started the Rams’ two-out rally. Yuricheck hit a single to right field, bringing in the run from Buda. On the next pitch, Yuricheck stole second, putting her in scoring position on Etemad-Gilbertson’s single to left field. Etemad-Gilbertson stole second, then a triple hit to right center by MacDonald brought her in. Carignan walked during her at-bat, but runners were left on base after Gray fouled out. Inning five was scoreless for both teams, with great plays by Carignan and MacDonald. FSU’s only success at the plate came from Pepe, who singled to shortstop. The Rams left only one runner on base during the sixth, but plays by Farris, Carignan, and Yuricheck left the runner stranded. Yuricheck and MacDonald both singled in the bottom of the second, but neither was able to cross home plate. The Buccaneers made a last-ditch effort to put up some runs during the seventh inning. Mass. Maritime’s first batter made it on base with a single, the second was thrown out at first by Carignan, and then the third was caught on a fielder’s choice, advancing the leading runner to third. Another fielder’s choice got the out at first, allowing the third base runner to cross the plate. After the following batter hit a single to center field, Farris struck the final batter out looking, ending the first game 6-2 in favor of Framingham. The opening inning of the second game was scoreless, with both teams accumulating one hit each, FSU’s coming from Etemad-Gilbertson with a single hit up the middle. After a successful defensive inning in the field, the Rams stepped back into the batter’s box. Gray started the action with a single up the middle, then Pepe walked to first, advancing Gray to second. A single by Roche advanced both runners, loading the bases. Paolino was next up, hitting a drive back to the pitcher, who made the play to throw Gray out at home. During her at-bat, sophomore Audrey Gauthier popped the ball up and it was grabbed by the catcher, making two outs for the Buccaneers. Yuricheck made contact next with a ball hit to shortstop, advancing Roche and Paolino and scoring Pepe. With the bases still loaded, Etemad-Gilbertson stepped to the plate, sending a hard shot to the outfield for a triple and bringing in runs from Yuricheck, Paolino, and Roche. After Etemad-Gilbertson scored, stealing home on a wild pitch, MacDonald fouled out to first, ending the inning. The top of the third saw a run for Mass. Maritime on an RBI single, but the team made no other moves during their at-bat. The Rams loaded the bases with their first three batters, with singles by Carignan and Pepe and a walk by Gray. Roche hit a double to send all three baserunners home, raising the score to 8-1. Before the Buccaneers could make three outs, Roche also scored, crossing the plate on a single by Paolino. Farris struck out two batters early in the fourth, but Mass. Maritime brought in three runs - one on an RBI hit and two on a fielding error - before a catch by Paolino in right field ended the inning. A double by Carignan was the Rams’ only hit during the fourth. Inning five passed uneventfully, with the only hit by either team coming from Gauthier on a single. The sixth inning went similarly, with no hits by the Buccaneers and only one by the Rams - a double by Etemad-Gilbertson. Framingham quickly closed out the final inning at the top of the seventh, with a strikeout by Farris, a catch by MacDonald, and a play by Gray at first. Already at an advantage, FSU ended the match after the third out, securing a 9-4 victory. Yuricheck said the team's success came from “maintaining a competitive energy and playing at a level that we are capable of playing at. “We got ourselves into a few situations defensively where Mass. Maritime was threatening to score, and we were able to work out of those jams. … We were able to play with grit and hustle that allowed us to manufacture runs,” she added. Gray said, “Having two MASCAC doubleheader sweeps is a huge confidence boost for us, especially heading into tough matchups. … As we approach these next three games, it is important that we maintain our energy from start to finish, and attack early.” Gray said she found success in the field by having “confidence in my team. We communicate really well, and when runners are in scoring position, we trust our pitchers to hit their spots. When the ball is put in play, we trust ourselves to make the plays. “Our team chemistry has been a huge strength for us this year. … If I’m struggling, I know my teammates will step up. I’ve been in a bit of a hitting slump, but I trust that our lineup, one through nine, will always pick each other up,” she added. Yuricheck said this recent string of wins “has helped us to find so much additional joy for playing with each other and caring about each other more than just on the field. When we have good chemistry, it sets us up for so much future success.” Her performance in the Rams’ April 11 doubleheader against MCLA earned Gauthier the title of MASCAC Pitcher of the Week April 13. On April 15, the Rams split games in a doubleheader against Clark University, winning the first match 1-0 and losing the second 5-3 to bring their overall record to 12-14. Framingham will travel to Westfield State University April 18 to take on the Owls in a conference doubleheader. Yuricheck said the Rams are looking forward to this matchup. “They are obviously a stand-out team both in our conference and at the Division III level, which provides us with a good ‘Why not us?’ mentality. “We feel as though we deserve that level of success, too, and if we play our game with confidence, we have the opportunity to play some very competitive softball,” she added. Gray said, “Westfield is a great team, but we need to go into that game believing we can beat anyone when we’re playing at our best and sticking to our game.”