Softball slams Salem St. in Senior Day doubleheader

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Izabela Gage Sports Editor The Framingham State softball team defeated the Salem State University Vikings in a doubleheader with scores of 9-8 and 11-8 April 21. After the Rams held the Vikings scoreless in the top of the first inning, Framingham came out swinging. A leadoff single by Captain Brooke Grassia, a senior, sparked the momentum for the Rams. Following a bunted single by freshman Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson, Grassia advanced to second. A walk from Captain Makayla Rooney, a graduate student, loaded the bases before sophomore Eliza Carignan stepped up to the plate. Carignan singled to right field, and Grassia put the first run on the scoreboard for the Rams. Etemad-Gilbertson followed, making it to home plate after freshman Isabella MacDonald singled to right field. Freshman Jocelyn Pepe sent a sacrifice fly to center field, letting Rooney tally another point for Framingham, solidifying the Rams’ 3-0 lead. The Vikings started the second inning with a single to center field and a walk, putting players on first and second base. Salem catcher Gianna Fowler singled to center field, and the Vikings finally put their first point on the board. They scored three more runs, two unearned, off a single to wrap up the top of the second inning. The Rams had the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, and after Carignan reached first on a fielder’s choice, Etemad-Gilbertson and Grassia made it to home plate. MacDonald followed, advancing to first base on a fielder’s choice, and Rooney scored, unearned, to end the second inning. The Vikings responded with two runs of their own, managing to briefly close the gap to 5-4. Framingham had a scoreless third inning, but a double from Rooney in the fourth ignited another rally, and Behrikis followed with a sharp single to right field that plated a run. With the bases loaded, sophomore Victoria Connelly received a walk to bring in another run, reinforcing the Rams' lead. The fifth and sixth innings remained scoreless for both teams. With two outs and a runner on second, Rooney delivered the clutch hit the Rams needed. Her RBI double brought home Etemad-Gilbertson, who had singled and stolen her way into scoring position. The Rams broke the tie, and the first game ended 9-8. Rooney said, “We knew we just needed one hit to put an end to that game, and we were able to put all things aside and go up there and have confidence in ourselves and our teammates.” According to Rooney, the team’s motto is “‘Pass the torch,’ which means one hit at a time and pass it on to your teammates.” MacDonald said, “In the last inning, we all came to the edge of the dugout and just started cheering and screaming like crazy. All of the batters knew we had their back, and with confidence, Rooney was able to finish with that walk-off.” Pitcher Audrey Gauthier, a freshman, faced 39 batters in the action-packed game. She said she had to switch her mindset from “aiming to really throwing and being confident on the mound, as well as taking deep breaths to stay calm and collected.” In the second game of the day, the Rams’ determination was still strong. Grassia reached first after a double to left field, and Etemad-Gilbertson singled to the Vikings’ shortstop, before stealing second. Rooney followed with a walk, and Carignan reached on a fielder's choice, resulting in Grassia making it to home plate. After Pepe and MacDonald both advanced on fielders’ choices, Etemad-Gilbertson and Rooney tallied two more runs for the Rams, ending the first inning 3-0. At the top of the second inning, Salem scored unearned, but Framingham responded with two runs of their own to bring the score to 5-1. Errors by the Vikings proved costly, as Framingham took full advantage through strategic fielders’ choices and timely walks. After a scoreless third inning for the Vikings, MacDonald advanced to first on a walk, senior Abby Behrikis was hit by a pitch, and freshman Gianna Paolino advanced on a walk, loading the bases for the Rams. Grassia doubled to center field and brought home MacDonald and Paolino, deepening the deficit to 7-1. The top of the fourth inning was scoreless for Salem. In the bottom of the fourth, Rooney walked, and soon after, Carignan did, too. Contact from MacDonald advanced Rooney, who brought it home and scored another run for Framingham. Behrikis reached first on a fielder’s choice, and MacDonald advanced to second, but Carignan was called out at third. Connelly filled the bases once again with a walk, and sophomore Haley Jensen reached first on an error, allowing Connelly, Behrikis, and MacDonald to make it to home plate, unearned. This play gave the Rams a 10-run lead. With the bases full, the Vikings made contact with the ball and singled to center field, tallying their second run of the game. Salem’s Tara Perryman sent another single to center field, and three Vikings slid home, and shrunk the deficit to 11-5. Framingham went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings with no runs. The Vikings entered the seventh inning hoping to make a comeback. With two outs and players on first and second bases, Salem sent the ball to left field and created a spark with a run. The Vikings singled to right field and loaded the bases as they scored their second run of the inning. Framingham subbed in freshman pitcher Sydney Bednarz, but that did not faze Salem, and they made contact with their third back-to-back single. They tallied another run, but it was followed by their third out. The Rams came out on top 11-8 despite the Vikings’ efforts. Etemad-Gilbertson said, “A big part of our focus in these games was winning for our seniors. We all love and look up to them, and we wanted them to leave with two wins on senior day.” Rooney said, “Something we focused on was keeping the fire burning and the energy up.” Gauthier said the team’s biggest challenge in both games was “ourselves. We know how to play, and we know what we need to do to execute - it's truly just a matter of following through with our playing. Even after getting down against Salem, our hitters worked to come back by doing what they know how to do, and we executed in the field to hold Salem.” With just four opponents left to face in the regular season, the Rams are hitting their stride at just the right time. Most recently, the Rams split a doubleheader, winning the first game 10-1 and losing the second 12-3, against the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards. Their conference record now stands at 7-3, and brings their overall record to 22-10. The Rams are on the road again when they face the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buccaneers in another doubleheader April 27. Gauthier said as they near the end of the season, she feels the team has grown so much individually, and “we’re all looking to push through as a team and play the best softball we can together.” Rooney said, “As a team, we know what we are capable of. We are confident that we can do something big. Going into the last few games of the regular season, we are focused on just taking it one day at a time, going over the little things, building our confidence, and having fun with the game we have loved our entire lives.”