Madsen's ninth-inning walk-off double helps Bulldogs sweep Seahawks in Saturday's doubleheader

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After holding Wagner scoreless, 3-0, in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, senior Elle Madsen (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) drilled one to deep center field for the walk-off double in the ninth inning, sealing Bryant University softball's 6-5 victory in game two.

Game One

In the bottom of the first with one out and a runner on second, junior Taylor Burger (Killingworth, Conn.) singled to right field, plating Madsen from second for the Bulldogs (5-26, 4-2) go-ahead run to make it 1-0 over the Seahawks (13-20, 0-6) in the first.

With two outs and a runner on first and third in the bottom of the third, sophomore Maritza Martinez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) singled up the middle, allowing classmate Robyn Ukegawa (Carlsbad, Calif.) to trot in for the 2-0 Bryant lead.

The Black and Gold tacked on their final run of the game in the bottom of the first when freshman Jessica Gradillas (Nogales) drove sophomore Rachel Monroe (Southwick, Mass.) in from second off a base knock. The Bulldogs 3-0 advantage held through the top of the seventh, allowing Bryant to walk away with the game one win at Conaty.

Madsen went 4-for-4 with one run and freshman Kaleigh Goulart (Marion, Mass.) finished 2-fo-3, as the Bulldogs racked up nine hits in the contest. Madsen earned the win on the mound, allowing just one hit, while striking out seven batters in 7.0 innings. McKaleigh Goodale recorded the loss, allowing three runs off nine hits, while only striking out one batter in 6.0 innings.

Game Two

The Bulldogs were off to a hot start in game two, taking a 3-0 lead, after two walks and an error loaded the bases. With no outs and the bases loaded, Gina Massaro overthrew the catcher at home, prompting Monroe and Madsen scores to make it 2-0 in Bryant's favor. Two batters later, Ukegawa's sacrifice bunt brought Burger in for the 3-0 lead after one inning of play.

The Bulldogs pushed their margin to four, 4-0, in the bottom of the third when Burger scored from second off a Goulart single to left center.

The Seahawks found an answer in the top of the fourth, narrowing the gap to one, 4-3. With one out, Jessica Carlucci doubled to right center, plating Lauren Serrato from second to make it 4-1. Wagner added two more scores after Maddie Marable hit a two-run homer, leaving the Bulldogs up by one, 4-3, after four innings.

In the top of the sixth, the Seahawks took the lead, 6-5, when Massaro drilled one through the left side, bringing Karen Prihoda and Marable in for Wagner's game-tying and game-leading scores.

In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Monroe singled to right field, putting Bryant's tying run on base. With two outs, Burger was next up for the Bulldogs, facing 1-2 count in the bottom of the second with the Bulldogs trailing by one, 5-4. The veteran stepped up to the plate, tripling to center field, bringing Monroe around the bases for the game-tying run, 5-5. With the winning run on third, the Seahawks were able to escape the inning after Gradillas popped up to second base off the first pitch.

In extra innings, both team defenses held strong, until the bottom of the ninth gave way to the Bulldogs. Junior Lauren Keast (Holliston, Mass.) kicked things off for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the ninth with a base hit to third. Pinch hitting for Bryant, sophomore Liana Ogata (Tustin, Calif.) knocked one up the middle, pushing Keast to second, as she took first. In experienced fashion, Madsen hammered one to deep center, sending Keast in for the winning run to seal the, 6-5, Bryant victory in extra innings.

Each team finished with 10 hits, as Burger and Goulart led the team, batting 2-for-4, respectively. Madsen recorded her second win of the day on the mound, allowing no runs off two hits, while striking three batters in 4.0 innings. Morgan Brown received the loss for the Seahawks, letting up one run off three hits with one strikeout in 1.0 inning.