BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- The Buccaneers softball team hosted Fitchburg State on Friday afternoon in a conference doubleheader and split with the Falcons picking up their first conference win of the season, 9-1, and narrowly losing game two by a final of 7-6.

Game One

Final: Buccaneers 9, Falcons 1

Records: Maritime 14-7 (1-2)

               Fitchburg 3-19 (1-2)

In The Circle

Maritime: Jennamarie Klemp (W, 7-4): 6 IP | 5 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 0 BB | 2 K

Fitchburg: Madison Solt (L, 2-8): 5 IP | 7 H | 9 R | 5 ER | 5 BB | 2 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Natalie Gale led the Bucs in hits with two in the win. Reagan Kerecz, Kelsey Booker, Sarah Holler, Hannah Burton, and Eva Warren all had a hit.
• Booker drove in two runs in the game, and Kerecz, Gale, Holler, Camryn Whitman, and Warren drove in one.
• Gale scored three times in the game, and Kerecz scored twice. Booker, Burton, Klemp, and Warren scored once.
• Booker hit her third home run of the season in the game. Gale recorded a double for the Buccaneers.

Fitchburg

• Priscilla Dillon recorded two hits for the visitors. Adria McKenzie, Jessica Mueller, and Lauren Ahearn all had one hit.
• Dillon drove in the only run of the game.
• Mueller scored the lone run.
• Dillon notched two doubles for the Falcons.

How It Happened

Maritime scored first in the bottom of the first on a Whitman sacrifice fly that brought in Gale, and Maritime led 1-0 after one inning.

In the second, the Bucs added two more runs, the first on an RBI from Warren and the second on an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Kerecz. Maritime led 3-0 after two.

After a scoreless third, the Falcons found their way on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth on an RBI double off the bat of Dillon to cut the deficit to two runs, 3-1. In the bottom of the fourth, the Bucs scored three more times. First, Kerecz scored on a throwing error by the Falcons, and then Booker hit a two-run home run to make the score 6-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Buccaneers put the game away, scoring two runs to win by run rule, 9-1.

Game Two

The Basics

Final: Falcons 7, Buccaneers 6

Records: Maritime 14-8 (1-3)

               Fitchburg 4-19 (2-2)

In the Circle

Maritime: Jennamarie Klemp (L, 7-5): 5.1 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 0 BB | 0 K

Fitchburg: Sydney Gabay (W, 1-5): 7 IP | 11 H | 6 R | 6 ER | 3 BB | 4 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Reagan Kerecz recorded three hits to lead the Bucs in the game. Kelsey Booker, Sarah Holler, and Hannah Burton had two hits. Klemp and Rubi Butler had one hit.
• Booker drove in three runs in game two, Holler drove in two, and Butler knocked in one.
• Gale scored twice in the game, and Kerecz, Booker, Holler, and Ryleigh Ward scored once.
• Booker hit her second home run of the day in the game, and Kerecz and Holler each had a double.
• Kerecz stole two bags, and Gale and Burton had one steal apiece.

Fitchburg

• Carolyn Brodeur, Jessica Mueller, and Isabella Sousa had two hits in the win. Adria McKenzie and Lauren Ahearn had one hit.
• Sousa drove in five runs for the guests. McKenzie and Broduer drove in one.
• Brodeur and Mueller scored twice, and Sousa, Ella Marshall, and Ahearn scored once.
• Sousa hit a home run in the game, and Mueller had a triple for the Falcons.

How It Happened

Fitchburg struck first in the top of the first on a three-run home run by Sousa to give the Falcons a three-run advantage before the Bucs came to bat. Booker matched Sousa's home run with one of her own of the three-run variety in the bottom of the inning and the teams were tied, 3-3, after one.

In the top of the second, the Falcons struck again for three more runs to take a 6-2 lead into the third. 

Maritime scored in the bottom of the third on a Butler ground out to second that drove in Holler. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, the Bucs tied the game at 6-6 on a two-RBI double from Holler, scoring Gale and Ward. 

In the top of the fifth, Sousa grounded out to second to drive in Mueller and regain the lead, 7-6, which went on to be the final score of game two.

What's Next

The Buccaneers travel to Rhode Island to take on Johnson and Wales on Wednesday, April 9th, at 4 and 6 pm in non-conference play.