WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State University softball team will host Bay Path University in the home opener of the season from Westfield, Mass on Tuesday with the doubleheader starting at 3:00 P.M. The Owls opened the season with ten road and neutral site games, playing eight games over spring break in Clermont, Florida and then a doubleheader against WPI this past weekend.
The Owls currently hold a 1-9 record overall, while Bay Path sits at 0-2.
Offensively, senior outfielder Colleen Hughes (Hanson, Mass.) has been a steady presence in the middle of the order for the Owls as she leads the team in batting average (.419), on base percentage (.486), hits (13) and runs batted in (5). She also has the Owls only home run of the season.
Senior Lindsay Cordopatri (Walpole, Mass.) and sophomore Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield, Mass.) continue to set the table at the top of the order. Cordopatri leads the Owls in walks (6) and stolen bases (4) while boasting a .444 on base percentage. Lummus leads the team in runs scored (5) with a .286 batting average.
Senior Brenna Welch (Halifax, Mass.) and first-year pitcher Katherine Canty (Natick, Mass.) have been the Owls most productive pitchers this season. Welch has tossed 20.1 innings, accumulating a 4.82 ERA and a team-leading 5.51 strikeouts per seven innings. She picked up the Owls lone victory of the season against Northwestern (Minn) in Clermont, Florida, where she fired a complete game while allowing just three hits, one run (unearned) and seven strikeouts. Canty currently holds the lowest earned run average of the staff, posting a 3.62 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched.
Bay Path has not played a game since February 18 where they lost a doubleheader set against Northern Vermont-Lyndon. Shortstop Madisyn Vera (East Hartford, Conn.) provided the bulk of the team's offense for the Wildcats, going 4 for 6 with a home run, three RBI, and a stolen base.
On the pitching side, the Wildcats allowed 24 runs in 10.1 innings pitched.
Tuesday marks the first of three consecutive home games for Westfield State as the Owls will play host to Keene State on Thursday followed by Springfield College on Saturday.