Softball Sweeps Salem State on Senior Day

WESTFIELD, Mass.  – Westfield State University softball celebrated its senior day in style with a doubleheader sweep of Salem State, as the Owls won 7-3 in game one, and followed up with a 5-0 win in game 2.

Westfield State improves to 14-16 with the sweep, and 7-3 in the MASCAC.   Salem State is now 7-23 overall and 3-7 in the MASCAC.

In game 1, the Owl jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, as senior OF Lindsay Cordopatri doubled to left center on a mis-played fly ball, and then scored on senior OF Colleen Hughes' RBI single.  

Salem tied the game 1-1 in the top of the second with a base hit single to center from Mackenzie DeSantis that Cordopatri overran in center field to allow DeSantis to second.   DeSantis advanced to second on a groundout and scored on Gracie Hogan's RBI single.

Westfield opened up the game in the bottom half of the second, loading the bases on hit and three walks, before first-year Jordyn Lummus rifled a line drive to right field that rolled all the way to the corner for a bases-clearing triple to drive in three runs for a 4-1 lead.  

Salem got two runs back in the fourth on a double from Peyton Jeffers, Isabella Perotti reached on an error on a sac but attempt, then Hogan rapped a double to right center that drove in two runs before Hogan was cut down at third on the relay throw from Cordopatri.

Westfield put the game away in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run from Christina Ciampa on a high fly just inside the left field foul pole, and Cordopatri followed with a single that was misplayed in the outfield allowing her to come all the way around to third on the play.  Hughes followed with another RBI single for her 29^th rbi of the season.

Senior Brenna Welch (W, 4-4) started and got the win for Westfield, sophomore Stephanie Scoville came on to pitch the final three innings for the save.  Welch allowed one earned run and five hits in her four innings, while Scoville yielded just one hit and struck out five in a strong performance.

Cordopatri finished 3-3 at the plate to extend her hitting streak to 16 games, while Hughes and Megan Metzger each had two hits for the Owls.

Hogan finished 2-3 with three runs batted in for Salem.  Starter Emily Carter (L, 4-14) went the route for the Vikings, allowing six earned runs and striking out three.

Westfield's Scoville (W, 6-6) continued the pitching dominance in game 2, throwing five shutout innings and striking out six, before Katherine Canty came in to close the game out with a pair of scoreless innings.   For the day, Scoville worked eight innings, allowing four hits while striking out 11 without walking a batter.

Westfield got all the offense it needed with a pair of home runs from first-year 1B Sarah Bingham, who launched a solo moonshot to straightaway center in the second inning, and added a wall-scraping fly ball 2-run homer to left field in the fourth inning to give Westfield a 3-0 lead.

Lummus added an RBI single and later scored on an error in the fifth to cap the scoring.

Cordopatri had a 15-game hitting streak snapped as she finished 0-3 while reaching on a hit-by-pitch and a fielder's choice.

For Salem, Hogan (L, 2-9) took the pitching loss in a complete game, allowing eight hits and four earned runs, striking out one and walking none.  She helped her own cause by going 1-3 at the plate as the Vikings were limited to just four hits in the combined shutout.

Westfield State recognized its six seniors in a pregame ceremony:  Cordopatri, Hughes, Welch, Jess Chenard, Alex Czarkosky and Megan Doyle.