BRIGHTON, Mass. – Simmons softball (7-9) dropped a non-conference double-header to Framingham State University (7-5) on Sunday afternoon.  

First-year right-hander Piper Kinney surpassed her career single-game best, fanning seven Rams over nine innings in a thrilling game two pitcher's duel. Kinney mirrored her Framingham State counterpart, Olyvia Mendonca, keeping the Rams off the board throughout the first seven innings.

Kinney settled down after the Rams were threatening to put runs on the board in the early innings. In the top of the third, after giving up a two-out double, she set down Kesley McGuill on strikes and opened a string of seven straight Ram batters she retired over the next two innings.

Framingham State's Camille Desrochers broke up the string of hitters with a double into left field, but Kinney escaped the inning unscathed with another strikeout and a routine pop out to first.

With the ballgame still tied a zero after seven complete, we headed into extra frames. The Rams pushed across a run in the top of the eighth to take a 1-0 lead, but the Sharks answered in the home half. 

Opening the home half of the eighth on second base, first-year Anna Gagliastro advanced 60 feet on a sacrifice bunt by fellow first-year Abby Viggiano. When Rams' reliever Rylynn Witek uncorked a wild pitch, Gagliastro took off for the plate to tie the game. 

The Sharks were threatening to walk off with the win. Following a one-out walk by sophomore Raya Anderson, first-year Leah Connor ripped a base hit back where it came from to give the Sharks runners on first and second. But junior Jordyn Rubin grounded into a fielder's choice for the second out before senior Shannon McMahon flew out to right to end the threat. 

Framingham State managed to re-gain the lead in the top of the ninth and added an insurance run to make it a 3-1 ballgame. The Rams proved to have need that extra run as senior Emma Thacher lined a one-out single into centerfield to plate first-year pinch runner Emily Deleault with the second Shark run. But they were unable to push across any more.

GAME 1: FRAMINGHAM STATE 6, SIMMONS 1

The Rams took the first game of the double-header earlier in the day, 6-1. Senior right-hander Maddie Castigliego escape early trouble in the early innings to keep it a scoreless game, but the Shark bats were unable to help out their starting pitcher. 

Framingham State managed to break up the stalemate with a run in the top of the third before scoring three more times two innings later in the fifth. However, the Sharks managed to get one run back in the home half of the fifth due to a little small ball.

Senior Emma Thacher opened inning with an opposite field single into right field before eventually moving to third on a walk and fielder's choice. With runners at the corners, the Sharks were threatening to score. Sophomore Raya Anderson broke for second base on an attempted steal, but managed to get herself in the run down long enough for Thacher to score.

But it was as close as the Sharks would get. The Rams added another two runs in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to five.

SIMMONS HIGHLIGHTS

• First-year right-hander Piper Kinney registered a career single-game high seven strikeouts in game two after tossing nine innings allowing just one earned run on four hits.
• Junior Jordyn Rubin went 3-for-5 on the afternoon with a pair of walks.
• Senior Emma Thacher was 2-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored from the bottom of the order.

UP NEXT
Simmons returns to the diamond on Wednesday, March 29 when they travel to Quincy, Massachusetts for a non-conference doubleheader against Eastern Nazarene. First pitch at 3 p.m.