Comeback Falls Short in 8-7 Loss

Bay Path nearly stole it late, but Fitchburg State answered with a decisive six-run sixth inning to pull out an 8–7 win Thursday evening at Donna Lee Withington Field.

Back-and-forth game turns in the sixth
Fitchburg State (7–24) opened the scoring in the first when Chloe Bafundo crossed the plate on an obstruction call for a 1–0 lead. Bay Path (16–17) tied it in the second on an Anya Gesin RBI single.

The Falcons took control in the fifth, stringing together run-producing hits from Jessica Mueller (RBI double) and Amaya Carrion (RBI single) to go up 3–1.

Bay Path surges ahead, then miscues bite back
Bay Path flipped the game in the top of the sixth with a four-run rally. Jackie Phillips sparked it with an RBI double, and the Wildcats continued piling on with RBI singles from Anya Gesin and Tristan Perez, plus a sacrifice fly from Jenna Boudreau to take a 5–3 advantage.

Late push falls short
Bay Path didn't go quietly. In the seventh, Phillips delivered another RBI hit and Gesin added a sacrifice fly to pull within 8–7, but Fitchburg State pitcher Alison Hazel closed it out to secure the win.

By the numbers
- Both teams: 14 hits each.
- Bay Path leaders:
- Anya Gesin: 3-for-3,  3 RBI , plus a sac fly RBI (involved in 4 of the 7 runs driven in)
- Jackie Phillips:  2-for-4,  2 RBI  (including an RBI double and RBI single)
- Taylor Moreau:  3-for-4, scored twice
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- Bay Path's Madison Sunderland took the loss (4–5) after allowing 8 runs across 6 innings.

Notable turning point
The bottom of the sixth was the difference: Fitchburg State combined aggressive baserunning with Bay Path's throwing error and a wild pitch to manufacture key runs, then added extra-base damage to create the final margin.

Attendance was 70, and the game lasted 1:54.