Desautles has a career day; MCLA splits with Fitchburg

North Adams, MA – Coming off a four game win streak, the MCLA softball team was hoping to use that momentum in this afternoon’s conference showdown with Fitchburg State College. The story of the afternoon was the hitting dominance of MCLA’s Rachel Desautels (Readsboro, VT). The senior captain is ranked at the top of all offensive categories in the MASCAC. Today she just added to those totals as she batted 7 for 8 from the plate, including two homeruns. She also knocked in five runs and scored six times in a split for her team. Fitchburg State (4-18, 1-3) took game one by a 12-6 margin, but MCLA bounced back to take the nightcap 7-6.

GAME 1
Behind a triple by Desautels in the first, MCLA jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after the first inning. The Trailblazers would strike again in the second adding two runs to their lead. Hadley Ameen (North Adams, MA) kept the

Falcons’ bats quiet until the top of the third when Karen Skoczylas (Palmer, MA) drilled a line-drive deep into center field that turned into a three-run homerun. Three batters later, Alicia Rocco (Tewksbury, MA) singled in a run to tie the score at four each.

After an MCLA pitching change in the top of the fourth, leadoff hitter Ashley McKinnon (Raynham, MA) homered deep to left field off of Jen McMurray (Margaretville, MA) for the first lead of the game. Late in the inning, Leigh Trzcinski (Worcester, MA) crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Eryn Cotter (North Easton, MA) giving Fitchburg a 6-4 lead. This would eventually become the game winner for the Falcons.

After the fourth, MCLA was only able to muster two more runs off of Falcons pitcher Allison Cousins (Leominster, MA). Meanwhile the Falcons continued to add to their lead collecting two runs in the fifth and four runs in the seventh on their way to a 12-6 win. Cousins earned her second win of the season while Jen McMurray took the loss for the Trailblazers.

GAME 2
In game two the MCLA bats came alive in the third building a 2-0 lead behind four singles that scored Amey Blackburn (Seekonk, MA) and Desautels. Fitchburg fought right back in the top of the fourth and fifth to take a 4-2 lead behind five hits, two from Alicia Rocco (Tewksbury, MA).

Desautels struck again leading off the fifth with a homerun down the left field line. Later in the inning, Kayla Koumijan (Watervliet, NY) crossed the plate for the equalizer.

With the score even at four, Desautels struck again. Amber Coburn (Colrain, MA) led off the inning with a drive to centerfield and was held up at third. Almost perfect from the plate on the afternoon, Desautels smacked the ball deep into deep left center for her second homerun of the game and a two-run lead.

Down two with their last at bats, it looked as if the game was locked up, but the Falcons proved differently. Lauren Donnell (Ayer, MA) singled up the middle. Two quick runs followed, and Fitchburg didn’t give up. They answered with three straight hits that locked the score at six each.

With the end of the order up, the Trailblazers made the most of their last at bat. Finding patience at the plate, Kate Hager (Springfield, MA) and Jackie Candelet (Hatfield, MA) both earned walks giving MCLA a runner in scoring position. Steph Hendricks (Warrensburg, NY) sacrificed both runners over. With two outs Coburn stepped to the plate playing out every ball player’s dream: bottom of the last inning, two outs, and the winning run on third. Already having a solid day from the plate, Coburn connected with an outside pitch from Bethany Stone (Wells, ME) and smacked it through the right side allowing Hager to cross the plate with the winning run. McMurray bounced back after taking the loss in the first and held strong pitching a complete game in the second.