Closinski Homers to Help Softball Split with Albertus Magnus

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Softball team returned to Shewcraft Field this afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader with the Albertus Magnus College Falcons. Madyson Torres and Maggie Closinski each homered and Mady Teta had a pair of extra base hits to help the Trailblazers come away with a split of the twin bill with the GNAC leading Falcons.

 THE BASICS:

• Date: Monday, April 14, 2025
• Game #1: AMC 16, MCLA 7
• Game #2: AMC 6, MCLA 9
• Records: Albertus Magnus College Falcons 21-11 (GNAC 11-1) | MCLA Trailblazers 9-11 (MASCAC 2-2)
• Series History: Albertus Magnus leads the all-time series 6-5, including a pair of wins last season in New Haven, by scores of 5-3 and 8-7 on March 22, 2024. The Falcons swept a doubleheader the first time the teams met by scored of 5-4 and 4-3 on March 23, 2019 in New Haven.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • AMC was the first team to score, putting up one run without the benefit of a hit before MCLA sophomore pitcher Juliana Johansen (Pittsfield, MA) wriggled out of the jam, leaving the bases loaded.
  • MCLA responded with a three spot in the bottom of the first inning when senior catcher Madyson Torres (Dripping Spring, TX) launched her second homerun of the season after junior infielders Ella Staffier (Marshfield, MA) and Hailey Peabody (West Springfield, MA) had singled and walked, respectively.
  • Things would get out of shape for the Trailblazers in the top of the second inning with the Falcons scoring seven runs and then adding four more in the third to go up 12-3.
  • The Trailblazers clawed a couple of the runs back in the bottom of the third when graduate student outfielder Maddy Teta (Troy, NY) led off with a walk, moved to second on a passed ball and to third on a wild pitch. Staffier then walked to put runners on the corners. Teta stole home when Staffier faked an attempt to steal second, drawing a throw from the catcher and allowing Teta to scamper home. Peabody singled and Staffier went first to third, allowing Peabody to take second on the throw to third. Torres then singled just inside the third base bag to plate both Staffier and Peabody.
  • In the fourth inning, MCLA cut their deficit to five runs when Teta's ground rule double plated first-year first baseman Allee George (Bennington, VT). It would be as close as the hosts would get because Albertus scored four runs on three hits in the top of the fifth to force a mercy rule win at 16-7.
  • The Falcons Skylar Arent went the first three innings, striking out four and only allowing four hits to pick up the win and moving to 11-3. Johansen took the loss for the Trailblazers, evening her record at 5-5.
• Game #2
  • The start of game two looked strikingly similar to game one because the Falcons scored first, plating two runs on three hits.
  • In the bottom of the frame, MCLA responded with another first inning crooked number. Teta led off the game with her second triple of the season and scored on a swinging bunt infield single by Staffier. Staffier stole second and two batters later scored when Torres singled up the middle. Torres moved to third on senior catcher Ezmeralda Albright (Loves Park, IL) double into the left-center field gap. Both Torres and Albright scored on first-year outfielder Samantha Wheeler's (Agawam, MA) single to right field. Wheeler moved to third when the rightfielder's throw airmailed over the cutoff. George then picked up an RBI with a single down the rightfield line to score Wheeler.
  • Staffier kicked off a second inning, one out rally for the Trailblazers with a single to left, and promptly stole second. Peabody then chased the AMC starter with a single down the leftfield line before moving to second on the throw attempting to get Staffier at third. One out later, Maggie Closinski (Rome, NY) welcomed the new pitcher with her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot to left to go up 8-2.
  • The Falcons began to erode the MCLA lead, scoring a pair of runs in both the third and fourth inning, with the big hit being a two-run homerun to straight away centerfield by Mikaela Scwhippert in the fourth, to make the score 8-6. Scwhippert would finish the game with three RBI.
  • MCLA added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth when Torres plated Teta.
  • Johansen then closed out the game with three scoreless inning, only allowing one hit and a runner who reached on an error enroute to her fifth complete game of the year, and improving to 6-5. Albertus Magnus' Amelia Boulli took the loss to fall to 0-2.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Teta's triple in the bottom of the first inning in the second game was the tenth of her career, moving her into a tie with Lisa Bush for sixth all-time on the Trailblazers leader board.

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when it plays host to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at Shewcraft Field for a MASCAC matchup with the Buccaneers. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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