Softball Sweeps Road Doubleheader with Elms College

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The MCLA Softball team returned to the field today in a rain-soaked affair at Elms College. Lora Woyton threw a complete game and hit a home run in game two, while Sarah Williams scattered six hits while striking out five in game one. Hailey Peabody was 5-10 in the two games, scoring two runs and stealing a base.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2024
• Game #1: MCLA 11, Elms 2
• Game #2: MCLA 12, Elms 8
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 6-11 (MASCAC 0-2) | Elms College Blazers 1-15 (GNAC 0-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • The teams locked in a pitcher's duel early, with both teams being held without a hit the first time through the lineups. MCLA started the scoring by putting up crooked numbers in both the third and fourth innings.
  • Madyson Torres opened the scoring with a bases-loaded RBI single in the third inning, scoring Hailey Peabody. Maggie Closinski followed up with an RBI single to left field, bringing home Ella Staffier. Two batters later, Justina Pardi continued the RBI single parade, scoring Kristie Zator.
  • In the fourth inning, the Trailblazers continued to swing a hot bat. Peabody led off with a double to right before coming home on Staffier's double to left. Zator then brought Staffier home with a single to center field to chase the Blazers' starter, Kaelyn Zakaitis, and brought in Caity Flynn. After a Closinski single put runners on the corners, Zator came home on a passed ball, and Closinski scored on Pardi's RBI double to center.
  • MCLA had another rally in the top of the seventh inning, taking advantage of two Elms' errors combined with two hits to score four runs. Cinderella Khoury, Alexandra Moyer, and Staffier all scored runs on wild pitches before Torres capped the rally by bringing Zator home with an RBI single.
  • Sarah Williams went the distance for the Trailblazers to improve her record to 4-5, while Zakaitis took the loss, dropping to 1-7.
• Game #2
  • The MCLA offense was still clicking in the second game as the Trailblazers scored four multi-run innings while scoring in five of the seven frames. After Elms scored a run in the bottom of the first, MCLA made sure that the Blazers' only lead of the day was short-lived. Maddy Teta led the inning off with a walk and proceeded to turn it into a triple, stealing both second and third bases before coming home to score on Hannah Mitchem's RBI single. Four batters later, Ezmeralda Albright put the Trailblazers in front when the Elms defense couldn't handle a ball to right field from Staffier.
  • In the top of the third, MCLA doubled their run total by scoring two runs with the benefit of only one hit. Pardi got the rally started with a double to left. Closinski then walked, and both moved up a base on Teta's groundout to the first baseman. Mitchem got her second RBI of the game when Pardi scored on a groundout to second, while Closinski came in to score on a passed ball.
  • The Blazers did get those runs back in the bottom of the frame but saw the Trailblazers respond with a rally of their own to go ahead 9-3 in the top of the fourth.  Staffier started the rally with a one-out walk and then scored on an RBI double by Lora Woyton. Pardi walked, and Closinski singled to load the bases for Maddy Teta. Teta walked to score Woyton and to start a stretch of three scoring plays for MCLA. Mitchem then doubled home Pardi and Closinski, and then Albright singled to right field to score Teta. Before the frame was over though, Elms did respond with three runs to cut the lead in half.
  • After the Trailblazers added one run in the sixth inning before Woyton knocked MCLA's first home run of the season in the seventh. It was a two-run shot to centerfield.
  • Woyton threw her fourth complete game of the season, improving her record to 2-4, while Flynn took the loss for Elms, falling to 0-3.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The wins for the Trailblazers continued a 17-game winning streak for MCLA against Elms College. The last time the Trailblazers lost a game to Elms College was during the 1991 season when they were known as North Adams State College. MCLA/NASC is 17-2 against Elms, dating back to the 1983 season.

UP NEXT:

On Thursday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Anna Maria College for a non-conference matchup with the AMCATs at the Zavattaro Athletics Complex. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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