Vikings Drop Two in MASCAC Opener

WORCESTER, Mass. – Salem State softball opened their conference schedule with a doubleheader at Worcester State University this afternoon. The Lancers would take the first game 5-1 before securing their second victory on the day (9-1) in five innings to drop the Vikings to 6-10 overall and 0-2 in MASCAC action.

Sydney Rodriguez (Brighton, Colo.) and Mackenzie DeSantis (Ridge, N.Y.) stayed hot for the Vikings, notching one hit in both games to give each of them two on the day while Payton Jeffers (Holly Ridge, N.C.) sent one over the fence to notch her first home run of the season.

Game 1

• With two outs in the opening inning, Rodriguez was able to lay one down to find herself on first before a DeSantis double sent one Viking home and pushed Rodriguez into scoring position, but she would be left on base as the game entered the bottom of the first with the Vikings ahead 1-0.
• In the bottom of the second, Lauren Dube (Leominster, Mass.) hit a single to advance one of her teammates to third and another home to tie the game at one. The Lancers would find their first lead of the game as the next batter brought the runner on third home to take the one-run cushion. Worcester would notch two more runs to their total in the second to take the 4-1 lead heading into the third inning.
• The home team would add to their tally in the bottom of the fifth when a sacrifice fly would bring Morgan Keefe (Dracut, Mass.) home to extend the Lancers lead (5-1).
• Each team would tack on one more hit before the Lancers took the 5-1 victory over the Vikings in game one.

Game 2

• Once again, Rodriguez started things off for the Vikings as she notched a double to start the secon game, but the Vikings were unable to capitalize on the hit and would go into the bottom of the first with no runs.  
• Salem looked to make some noise in the second inning when two Vikings found themselves on base before an Isabella Perrotti (Winthrop, Mass.) single put them in scoring position. Unfortunately, the Lancers' defense hunkered down and left all three Vikings on base to end the inning.
• The Lancers found themselves ahead in the bottom of the second after scoring three runs from three hits and a Vikings' error before exploding for five runs in the next inning to take the commanding 8-0 lead.
• Jeffers tried to rally her squad when a solo homer would put a Viking run on the scoreboard, but that would be the lone run of the inning as the next two batters struck out to go into the bottom of the fourth down 8-1.
• The Lancers would record two doubles in the bottom of the fifth which would bring one runner around to end the game with the home team taking the 9-1 win over the Vikings.