Softball dominates Worcester State in doubleheader sweep

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor The Framingham State softball team took two wins in a doubleheader against conference opponent Worcester State University on their home turf April 14 with stunning performances from graduate student Makayla Rooney and sophomore Eliza Carignan. With under a month of regular season play left, Framingham is second in the MASCAC conference standings. They are currently deadlocked with Westfield State University with matching 5-1 conference records, but Westfield bests Framingham with their overall record. In game one against the Worcester Lancers, the Rams were quick to strike. After the Lancers opened scoring in the first inning with a run on a wild pitch, leadoff hitter Brooke Grassia, a senior, quickly put the ball in play to get on base for the Rams. Grassia advanced to second base on a fielder’s choice, and a tough strikeout for Rooney for the second out brought Carignan to the plate. She scorched a shot over the head of the Lancers’ shortstop for a double that brought Grassia in to score. Freshman Isabella MacDonald grounded out to end the inning tied 1-1. After a quiet second inning for both teams, the Rams lit up their bats again in the third. Senior Abby Behrikis was hit by a pitch, and Grassia connected with a pitch low in the strike zone for a single. Freshman Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson hit into a fielder’s choice that advanced the runners to second and third, and Carignan collected another two RBIs on a single to center field. MacDonald followed with a single that got Carignan over to third base, and freshman Jocelyn Pepe sliced into a pitch for a single to score Carignan. The third inning ended with the score 4-1. The Lancers gave freshman pitcher Audrey Gauthier some trouble in the fourth inning. Gauthier had been a little shaky with three walks in the first three innings, but countered any signs of struggle with five strikeouts. The Lancers tallied a single and a two-RBI triple to tie the game 4-4. Unwilling to falter, Gauthier effectively quieted the Lancers in the fifth inning, and the defense backed her to effectively put a stop to any scoring opportunities for Worcester in the final two innings. Carignan continued to be a force with another double in the fifth inning to bring in Rooney. Pepe tallied her second hit of the day with a single that brought in freshman Gianna Paolino to make the score 6-4. Rooney, who had been having a quiet game, knocked a solo home run in the sixth inning to solidify the Rams’ 7-4 win. Carignan went 3-3 with two doubles and four RBIs, and Pepe and Grassia both went 2-4 with Pepe tallying two RBIs of her own. Carignan’s batting average currently stands at an impressive .415 over her 24 games played. She said part of her success comes from her walk-up song “Somethin’ Bad” by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, as well as the enthusiasm of her teammates. “When I go up to the plate, I go up relaxed but confident. My walk-up song gets me going every time, and I love how my teammates cheer me on,” she said. Carignan’s success continued in game two against the Lancers, when she scorched her third double of the day in the first inning to bring in Rooney, who had knocked a single to get on base for the Rams. Starting pitcher Sydney Bednarz, a freshman, kept Worcester quiet through the first two innings, and the Lancers notched their first run in the top of the third inning on a throwing error by the Rams to tie the game 1-1. The Rams refused to relent to the Lancers' pressure in the bottom of the third, and Grassia led off the inning with a single. Rooney doubled to center field to bring in Grassia and then scored herself on a wild pitch. Carignan followed with a single of her own, and Pepe stepped up to bring them both in with a home run. The Rams led 5-1 after three innings. Worcester mounted a comeback in the top of the fifth inning when freshman Julianna Chisholm replaced Bednarz in the circle. Bednarz got through four innings with only three hits and tallied a strikeout during her performance. The Lancers combined for six runs off five hits and two errors from the Rams’ defense to put themselves in the lead 7-5. Framingham responded with singles from Etemad-Gilbertson and Rooney before Carignan reached first base on a fielder’s choice, which resulted in Etemad-Gilbertson being tagged out at third. With runners on first and second, MacDonald represented the winning run at the plate. She singled to center field, and an error by the Lancers’ center fielder sent the ball rolling all the way to the center field fence. Rooney, Carignan, and MacDonald were all waved home by Head Coach Larry Miller to once again take the lead 8-7. MacDonald leapt into Rooney’s arms as she crossed the plate, and the Rams were able to hold off the Lancers with Gauthier back in the circle for the win. Carignan said the team is used to adversity, but “our perseverance always comes through, and we never give up. We are known to be comeback kids when we get down.” Rooney went 3-3 with an RBI, and Carignan and Etemad-Gilbertson both went 2-4. Etemad-Gilbertson was named MASCAC Rookie of the Week April 14 for her 3-5, two RBI performance against New England College April 10. Most recently, the Rams split a doubleheader against non-conference opponent Johnson & Wales at an away doubleheader April 17 with an 8-4 loss and a 5-3 win. They will be back against conference rival Westfield State for a doubleheader April 19 at Westfield.