FRAMINGHAM, MA – After losing the entire 2020 season, the Framingham State University softball team returned to the field this afternoon and used the long ball to defeat Emmanuel 7-1 in the opener and rallied from a two run deficit to finish the sweep of a non-conference doubleheader with a 3-2 victory over the Saints at Maple Street Field.

In the opener, senior Camille Desrochers (Westford, Mass.) led off the inning witha solo homer to left and three batters later junior Laela Pepin (Acushnet, Mass.) delivered a three run home run to center giving the Rams a 4-0 lead after one.

The Rams struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Rams loaded the bases and Desrochers delivered an RBI fielder’s choice and sophomore Gwendolyn Carpenter (Ashley Falls, Mass.) followed with a bases loaded walk for the 6-0 advantage.

Emmanuel got on the board in the top of the fifth when junior Renae Lacroix plated a run with a fielder’s choice.  The Rams added a final run on a Carpenter RBI single down the leftfield line in the bottom of the sixth to reach the final margin.

Sophomore Ally Moran (Wilmington, Mass.) earned the victory in her first collegiate start. Moran tossed a complete game allowing an unearned run on three hits with four strikeouts.  Sophomore Tianna Dawe took the loss for Emmanuel going four innings allowing five earned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts.

The Saints took the lead in the top of the second of game two when Lacroix singled to left with two outs. An RBI double off the bat of Maegan Amsler in the top of the third pushed the lead to 2-0.

The Saints had runners on second and third in the top of the fourth, but the Rams freshman Shannon Ward (Newport, RI) recorded a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.

The Rams plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good. With the bases loaded, a Saint error led to the first run and a pair of walks accounted for the other two.

Ward earned the victory in the circle tossing four innings in relief allowing two hits with three strikeouts.

Megan Long took the loss for the Saints going six innings allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits with eight strikeouts.

The Rams are back in action on Friday March 19th when they host Suffolk for a non-conference doubleheader at 2:00pm.

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Thanks to Kathy Lynch, Assistant Director of Athletics/ Sports Information Director at Framingham State University for contributing this article.  As Massachusetts’ premier state college, Framingham State University offers prepared and motivated students a wide range of challenging undergraduate and graduate programs. Located just 20 miles from Boston, the university offers many options for students to engage in real-world learning both on its quintessential New England campus and in Boston and its thriving MetroWest region.