Softball Hosts First Round Playoff on Wednesday Afternoon

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The final home athletic event of the 2022-23 academic year will take place on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., when Westfield State softball hosts Fitchburg State in a first-round knock out game in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament at the Westfield State softball field.

The Owls go into the game as the #4 seed, while the Falcons are the #5 seed.

The loser will be eliminated from the tournament, while the winner advances into the double-elimination portion of the bracket with top-seed Framingham State waiting in the wings to host a Friday matchup.

Westfield (22-6, 9-5 MASCAC) comes into the tournament sputtering a bit with seven straight losses (four straight in the conference) after a strong start to the season, which sees them with the fourth-most wins in program history.  The Owls needed a split in their final conference series against Bridgewater to wrap up the second seed in the league, but a pair of late losses dropped Westfield into a three-way tie for second and ended up as the #4 seed via league tiebreak rules.

Westfield swept Fitchburg (15-22, 7-7 MASCAC) in a doubleheader on April 3 that opened the conference season.  The Owls got four home runs in that doubleheader, two from Jordyn Lummus and one each from Alyssa Clark and Sabrina Testa.

Westfield's playoff hopes will rest on the right arm of starter Stephanie Scoville, who posted an 11-6 record with two saves and a 3.28 ERA.  At the plate, Lummus leads the team from the leadoff spot with 44 hits and a .400 batting average.

First-year C/OF Mia Alfonso is next at .395 with 11 extra base hits, and 1b Sarah Bingham leads the team with five home runs and has driven in 24 runs, and senior SS Clark has a team high 25 RBI.

Fitchburg comes in with a hot hand, winning three of their last four in the league.

Senior OF Madison Mantegni leads the Falcons with 48 hits and a .387 average.   SS Molly Grass is one of the top players on the circuit with a .333 average and 15 doubles among her 20 extra base hits.  Grass hit three home runs in a double header at Westfield during the 2022 season.

Sarah Cahill has been the top starter for the Falcons with a 7-8 record and 11 complee games, pitching to a 4.62 era.   Mary Kate Moreau has made 16 appearances in the circle with a 5-7 record and 4.02 ERA.

The game will be livestreamed on video and offer live stats on WestfieldStateOwls.com