Softball splits regular season finale with MIT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Salve Regina University softball team closed out its 2012 regular season with a split against non-conference opponent MIT on Thursday afternoon at Briggs Field. Salve Regina won the opener 6-2 and now stands at 22-14 on the year.

Salve Regina won game one on the strength of Jen Cruver's (North Haven, Conn.) pitching performance. Cruver tossed five innings of five-hit ball, allowing just one unearned run to pick up her 21st win of the season. The Seahawks also received a pair of RBI's from Marissa Simpson (Brimfield, Mass.), who was 3-for-4 in the opener. Junior Anna Christensen (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and Van Belleghem each went 2-for-3 for Tech. Van Belleghem was also solid on the mound, pitching the final five innings, while allowing just one run on five hits, in just her second appearance of the season.

Salve opened the scoring in the first, as Laura Anne Dinan (Monterey, Mass.) led off with a walk and scored on Ali Muehlbronner's (Glenside, Pa.) groundout.

The visitors then broke the game open in the second, scoring four runs on two hits in the frame to take a 5-0 lead. Simpson delivered the big hit, with a two-run single to score Cruver and Kristen Parolise (Hamden, Conn.).

Tech got on the board in the fourth, as junior Emily Creedon (Stoneham, Mass.) came home on senior Jessica Iacobucci's (Phoenixville, Pa.) RBI-single. Christensen plated another run in the sixth, with a base hit to score senior Katie Harrington (Lexington, Ky.).

That would be all the runs the Cardinal and Gray would get, however, as Simpson came on to pitch the final two innings and nail down the win.

The Engineers struck first in game two, as Iacobucci reached on an error and scored on Van Belleghem's two-out, infield single. They added two more unearned runs in the third, with Van Belleghem again coming through with runners in scoring position. Harrington reached base on an error and senior Nydia Ruleman (Germantown, Tenn.) walked before both moved up on Iacobucci's sacrifice, setting the stage for Van Belleghem's two-run single up the middle.

Fodor set down the first 10 Salve Regina batters in order before allowing a one-out single in the fourth. She would work around that however, getting a flyout and a groundout to end the frame.

The Seahawks threated in the sixth, as Dinan reached on a one-out single, stole second and moved up to third on a groundout. But Fodor would strand her on the base-paths, striking out Simpson to retire the side. Fodor then set down the side in order in the seventh to earn her seventh win on the season.

Fodor struck out six while giving up just two hits in the complete game shutout, her third shutout of the year. Cruver (21-14) earned the loss, allowing just three unearned runs on five hits.

Courtesy of MIT Sports Information