FRANKLIN, Mass. – April 12, 2022 – The Dean College softball team dropped a doubleheader to Fitchburg State in non-conference action at the Longley Athletic Complex Tuesday afternoon. The Falcons won game one 22-14 and followed with a 12-1 victory in five innings in game two.

The two teams previously met in March in North Myrtle Beach and scored a combined 35 runs in a 7-inning game.

Dean (2-13) resumes Great Northeast Athletic Conference play on Thursday at Regis. Fitchburg State (12-11) will host Mass. Maritime on Friday.

GAME ONE – Fitchburg State 22, Dean 14

After Fitchburg State scored a pair on wild pitches in the top of the first, Dean responded with five runs in the bottom half. Senior Bridget McDonough (North Reading, Mass.) had the big hit in the inning with a two-run double to left center.

The Falcons tied the score in their next at-bat, but the Bulldogs came right back to take a 7-5 lead when junior Gianna Bencivengo (White Plains, N.Y.) belted a two-run homer to right center.

Fitchburg State then plated two in the third, four in the fourth and three in the fifth to be in front 14-7. In the bottom half of the fifth, Dean would answer with four runs with another big hit by Bencivengo. She hit a bases clearing double to pull the home team within 14-11.

The Falcons scored six more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Dean scored twice in the sixth on a Madison Mayo (North Attleboro, Mass.) RBI double and a Jaylee Martinez (Pawtucket, R.I.) sac fly. The Bulldogs added another run in the seventh on a Sari Albury (Nassau, Bahamas) single but Fitchburg State held on for the 22-14 victory.

Bencivengo finished 3-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and five RBIs to lead 10 Dean batters who recorded at least one hit. Albury went 4-for-5 with two RBIs. Senior Miranda Seacord (Cambridge, N.Y.) was 2-for-5 with a couple of stolen bases and two runs scored.

Junior Molly Grass (Rockland, Mass.) went 4-for-5 with a double, home run, two runs scored and three RBI to lead the Falcons.

GAME TWO – Fitchburg State 12, Dean 1

The Falcons put the first run across in the top of the second on a passed ball. Fitchburg State added four runs in the third on a pair of two-run hits by Isabella Sousa (Charlton, Mass.) and Morgan Cormier (Leominster, Mass.).

In the fourth, Sousa doubled in another run and later scored on an error to put the Falcons on top 7-0.

Dean scored its lone run in the fourth on a Shelby Smith (Southwick, Mass.) RBI groundout.

Fitchburg State added five runs in the top of the fifth, including a solo shot by freshman Julia Gauvin (Granby, Mass.) to give the visitors a 12-1 lead.

Battling darkness, the Bulldogs were held scoreless in the bottom of the fifth to make the final 12-1.

Seacord added two more hits and a stolen base to her day for the Bulldogs.

Sousa finished with two hits, three runs and three RBIs for the Falcons. Gauvin was 3-for-3 with three runs.

Junior Zoe Coleman (Warwick, R.I.) tossed a scoreless inning of relief for Dean.

Freshman Stefanie Poulin (East Berlin, Conn.) earned the win for the Falcons with five innings of work. She gave up one run on four hits with four strikeouts.