BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- Softball, needing a sweep to stay alive in the MASCAC softball playoff race, faced off against the winless-in-conference Fitchburg Falcons on Saturday afternoon. The Buccaneers did just that against the Falcons, winning game one in extra innings, 9-8, and taking game two, 8-4 behind a five-RBI game from Sarah Holler.

Game One

The Basics

Final: Buccaneers 9, Falcons 8 (8 Innings)

Records: Maritime 9-15 (2-9)

               Fitchburg 3-22 (0-11)

In the Circle

Maritime: Jennamarie Klemp (W, 7-8): 8 IP | 9 H | 8 R | 5 ER | 4 BB | 2 K

Fitchburg: Brianna Lynch (L, 1-8): 5 IP | 8 H | 2 R | 2 ER | 2 BB | 3 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Ab'c'de Patane had four hits in the win for the Bucs. Kelsey Booker, Carlee Hiddeman, and Natalie Gale each had two hits. Reagan Kerecz, Hannah Burton, Sarah Holler, and Ryleigh Ward all had one hit.
• Gale recorded a triple in the game, and Booker and Hiddeman each had a double.
• Holler and Gale drove in two runs, Patane, Hiddeman, and Ward had one RBI apiece.
• Kerecz and Burton scored twice, and Booker, Patane, Hiddeman, Holler, and Gale all scored once.
• Kerecz had a stolen base in the win.

Fitchburg

• Jessica Mueller had three hits in the loss. Kiley Connors and Priscilla Dillon had two-hit games. Chlore Bafundo and Julia Cooper both had one hit.
• Dillon had two doubles in the loss, and Mueller added one. 
• Connors and Mueller both drove in two runs, and Dillon knocked in one.
• Bafundo and Cooper scored twice, and Connors, Mueller, Amaya Carrion, and Lauren Aheard each scored once.
• Bafundo had a stolen base in the loss.

How It Happened

The Bucs scored in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Booker grounded out, and Kerecz came in to score thanks to an obstruction call at the plate.

In the top of the second, the Falcons struck for five runs to go up 5-1 and put the Buccaneers in a four-run hole.

In the bottom of the third, the Buccaneers got all of the runs back, and then some. Burton grounded out, and Kerecz, again, came in to score on an obstruction call. Then, Holler drove in two runs on a single up the middle. Shortly after, Gale tripled down the left field line, knocking in Holler and Hiddeman, and gave the Bucs the lead back, 6-5. Ward added some insurance with an RBI single that scored Gale. The Bucs led by two runs, 7-5, after three. 

The fourth was scoreless, and in the fifth, the Falcons scored two runs to tie the game at 7-7. 

In the sixth, Maritime took an 8-7 lead thanks to a Patane single that drove in Burton. 

Just when it looked like the Bucs were going to win the game 8-7, the Falcons scored the tying run in the top of the seventh on a wild pitch. With Maritime unable to score in the bottom of the final frame, the game went to extra innings.

Klemp and the Buccaneers kept Fitchburg off the board in the top of the inning, and in the bottom of the inning, Hiddeman became the hero, hitting a double off the left field fence, driving in Burton, to earn the Bucs a 9-8 win in game one.

Game Two

The Basics

Final: Buccaneers 8, Falcons 4

Records: Maritime 10-15 (3-9)

               Fitchburg 3-23 (0-12)

In the Circle

Maritime: Ashleigh Catlett (W, 3-7): 7 IP | 7 H | 4 R | 2 ER | 4 BB | 7 K

Fitchburg: Alison Hazel (L, 0-3): 6 IP | 13 H | 8 R | 7 ER | 0 BB | 3 K

Inside the Numbers

Maritime

• Kelsey Booker and Sarah Holler each had three-hit games. Reagan Kerecz and Ab'c'de Patane had two hits in the win. Hannah Burton, Carlee Hiddeman, and Natalie Gale all had one base hit.
• Holler recorded a triple in the game, and Kerecz and Booker each had a double. 
• Holler knocked in five runs in the victory. Burton had two RBI, and Patane added one.
• Kerecz, Burton, and Patane scored twice, and Booker and Hiddeman scored once.
• Kerecz had a stolen base, the only one in the game.

Fitchburg

• Jessica Mueller and Paige Konopka had two hits in the loss. Kiley Connors, Ariana Baez, and Keegan Kelley each had one.
• Mueller tallied two doubles in the game, and Konopka had one. Mueller and Konopka had a two-RBI game.
• Amaya Carrion scored twice, and Baez and Mueller scored once.

How It Happened

The Falcons scored first in the top of the first inning on a Mueller double that scored Carrion. In the bottom of the inning, Burton drove in Kerecz, and Holler knocked in two with a single through the middle, and the Bucs led 3-1 after one.

Maritime added a run in the bottom of the second with Kerecz scoring to give the Buccaneers a 4-1 advantage.

In the top of the third, the Falcons struck for three runs, one on another Mueller double, and two more on Konopka's double, and the game was tied at 4-4. 

The Bucs took over the late innings behind a strong pitching performance from Catlett. In the bottom of the fifth, the hosts scored two runs on Holler's triple and took a 6-4 lead. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Patane singled in Burton, and Holler singled in Patane, to extend the Buccaneers' lead to four runs, 8-4. 

The Bucs defense shut down the Falcons in the seventh, and the Bucs earned their first conference sweep of the season, winning game two, 8-4.

What's Next

The Buccaneers are on the road on Patriots Day, Monday, April 20th, to play Westfield State in conference play beginning at noon.