Owls' Softball Sweeps MCLA

WESTFIELD, Mass.    – Kassidy LaTour (Lebanon, Conn./Lyman Memorial) rapped out four hits and Katelyn Baker (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire) stole three bases in the sweep to help power Westfield State softball to a pair of wins over MCLA in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader at Sullivan Field on Patriots' Day Monday.

Westfield hung on to win game 1, 6-4, and topped the Trailblazers 7-1 in game 2.

Westfield State improves to 27-7, 9-1 in the MASCAC and sits alone atop the conference standings.  MCLA drops to 12-14, 5-5 in the MASCAC and is in a scrum for third in the conference table.

In the opener, Westfield starting pitcher Katherine Canty (Natick, Mass.) (W, 11-2) was cruising into the fifth inning with a no hitter before it was broken up by Hailey Peabody's (West Springfield, Mass.) seeing-eye ground ball up the middle.

Westfield grabbed a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, when LaTour led off with a double and scored when Christina Ciampa (Rockville, Conn.) followed with a base hit.  Baker followed with single, ste second and scored on Abby Clarks double.

In the fifth, LaTour singled, stole second and came around to scre on another RBI single from Ciampa. Westfield tacked on two more runs in the sixth on a double from Alyssa Slack (Westfield, Mass.), another RBI single from Baker, who then stole second and later scored on Sarah Hough's (Southwick, Mass.)  sacrifice fly to give Westfield a 6-0 lead.

Canty needed the extra cushion, as MCLA struck for four runs in the top of the seventh after singles from Veronica Deacon and Maddy Teta (Troy, NY/Lansingburg) , and an error loaded the bases for Peabody, who smacked a two-out line drive to left field that got underneath a sliding catch attempt from Westfield's Rachel Brewer-Karimi to drive in three.  Peabody scored when Madyson Torres (Dripping Springs, Tex.) followed with a double to center to cut the lead to 6-4, but Canty finally induced a pop up to second to end the threat.

Canty allowed seven hits but no earned runs, and struck out three.  MCLA's Julianna Johansen (L, 8-6)  (Pittsfield, Mass.) allowed six runs and 11 hits while fanning one.

LaTour finished 3-3 with two RBI, Ciampa and Baker each had a pair of hits for the Owls.  Peabody finished 2-4 with three rbi.

In game 2 Westfield scred a single run in each of the first three innings.

MCLA tallied single runs in the third, on a double from Ella Staffier (Marshfield, Mass.) and an RBI single from Torres, and another in the fourth when Deacon reached on a leadoff error and eventually scored on Teta's sacrifice fly.

Westfield's Hannah Wodecki (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire) hooked a high fly ball inside the left field foul pole for a two-run homer in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-2 on her fourth home run of the season.  Wodecki moves into fourth on the Owls career home run list with 13, in less than two full seasons since transferring to Westfield.

The wheels came off for MCLA in the sixth, as the Owls pushed across two more runs with the help of three Trailblazer throwing errors on a sac bunt mishap.

Abby Clark (Uxbridge, Mass./Blackstone) reached base four time from the leadoff spot with three walks and single and scored three runs.  Wodecki was 2-4 with a double, home run and three runs batted in.  Mia Alfonso (Pittsfield, Mass.) had three hits and an RBI for the Owls.

Westfield starter Joss Mettey (Easthampton, Mass./Hampshire) (W, 8-1) worked four innings, scattering six hits and allowing two runs.  Angelina Vartuli (Middletown, Conn.) worked the final two innings for her second save of the season.

Peabody (L, 5-6) went the distance in the circle for the Trailblazers, allowing 12 hits and five earned runs.  She walked four and struck out one.   Peabody and Torres both finished with a pair of hits for MCLA.

Westfield will be on the road for their final three regular season doubleheaders, heading to Keene State on Thursday, August 24 for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader.