RallyNorth.net

Lack of timely hitting ends Indians season

Monday, June, 09 By John Shimer
Staff writer

Like Trey Wilson | the actor who played manager Joe Riggins in "Bull Durham" | said of baseball, "This is a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball." The same can be said of softball — it's a simple game.

At Martin Field in Lowell for the Division 2 North softball final yesterday, the difference between No. 7 seed Central Catholic (18-6) and No. 8 seed Amesbury (17-7) was simple — timely hitting. The Raiders got it, the Indians did not, and so a brilliant tournament ride came to a bittersweet end at the hands of Central, 3-1.

Both teams got workman-like performances from their starting pitchers | Central's Liz Habib and Amesbury's Jordan Oliva | who each got into jams on several occasions, but battled out of the most dangerous situations.

Habib (seven innings pitched, four strikeouts, six walks, three hits, one earned run) extended her tournament scoreless innings streak to 27 before the Indians finally pushed a runner across in the top of the seventh after Katelyn Bartley's double, a wild pitch and Anna Kate Webber's RBI-groundout.  

Unfortunately, Bartley's strikeout with the bases loaded in the second loomed large when Amesbury missed the chance to put the first runs of the game on the board.

Oliva (seven innings pitched, five strikeouts, one walk, seven hits, one earned run) was nearly as effective moving the ball around in the strike zone and keeping the Raiders off balance.

Each team also flashed its share of leather to aid its pitchers.

After Central scored its second run of the game on Tina Eringis' RBI-triple, second baseman Abby Pare saved a run for Amesbury, making a very difficult running, over-the-head catch on a ball that seemed destined to bloop into right field to end the threat in the fourth.

Chelsey Guselli was equally superb at third base for Central, making three terrific put-outs on sharply hit balls, including a double play in the first off Gabby Magnifico's bat with two on and one out that quelled what could have been an early Amesbury rally. She also made the game's final out on another hard shot.

When the time came for the batters to come through, Amesbury too often helped out Habib, while Central took advantage of the Indians' two costly errors in the third and fourth innings.

"(Habib) got out of jams, but we weren't as selective as we should've been, and swung at a lot of bad pitches," said Amesbury coach Chris Perry. "We had a lot of base runners on -- I think she (Habib) had five or six walks -- but we just didn't get those base runners in and we couldn't get the big hit.

"We had a couple of doubles, we could've used them with the runners on, it would've made a different game," mused Perry. "That's the nature of the game and the tournament. When they had base runners on, they came around and scored."

Graduating four starters | first baseman Kelsey Fournier, catcher Katie Hathaway, Oliva and Pare | Amesbury will have to rebuild at four key positions next year.

"All four seniors were outstanding; every kid contributed statistically and on the field," Perry said. "But, they were also good, hard-working, successful kids, and I'm going to miss them."

Although Perry will be sad to see that highly successful foursome go, he said a lot of Indians experienced a lot of growth this season.

"I think a lot of kids came a long way, a lot of kids played well for us this year, and they had a pretty good year," Perry summed up. "Overall, we did pretty good, we beat some good teams in Division 2 | Dracut, Concord-Carlisle and Stoneham | that's pretty good."