The Wildcats Fall to the MCLA Trailblazers

The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Trailblazers swept the Bay Path College Wildcats in a non-conference, softball double-header.

In game one, Bay Path jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning capitalizing off of three MCLA errors. Bay Path sophomore Sarah Gates of Crown Point, IN, led the game with a triple and crossed the plate after Bay Path senior Sarah Wright of Canterbury, NH reached on an error. The Wildcats added to their lead in the second with two more runs, but that would be all they could muster in game one. MCLA Trailblazer Hadley Ameen of North Adams, MA, quieted Bay Path’s bats, and closed the Wildcats out for the rest of the game. MCLA went on to win game one 8-5.

In game two, the Trailblazers jumped out to a 6-0 lead after three innings. In the fourth inning, the Wildcats caught up with the Trailblazers and collected four unanswered runs to close the gap to 6-4 in favor of MCLA. In the bottom half of the inning, the Trailblazers brought their lead back up to 9-4, and with an MCLA pitching change and worsening conditions, Bay Path collected seven runs in the top of the fifth taking an 11-9 lead. Ameen would re-enter late in the inning to close out the Wildcats. In the bottom half of the fifth inning, the Trailblazers battled back and were helped by three Wildcat errors that allowed for six unearned runs.

As the light grew dim, the Wildcats were at bat and had one last chance with two outs and loaded bases. Gates drove a ball deep to center field clearing the bases. With the tie run on third base, Trailblazers’ Ameen finished the game with a strikeout.