By Nick Pantages
@nick_pantages22
As starting pitcher Amelia DeRosa’s delivery approached home plate with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, it was belted into center field. It looked to end her perfect game bid, destined to find the left-center gap. But in the blink of an eye, center fielder Ava Rainone made a sprawling effort to get her glove on the ball, eventually coming down with an unbelievable diving grab.
“That may have been one of the best catches I’ve ever seen on Potter Field,” said head coach Kate Bowen. “Ava makes diving catches like that all the time in practice, but I thought that was really out of her reach, and she just went full send in the air and got it.”
DeRosa’s perfect game bid was eventually ended one inning later, but Rainone’s play completely stole the show.
When all the dust had settled on the action today, the Pride walked away with a sweep of a doubleheader against Keene State, winning 8-0 in six innings and 8-2.
The first game was defined by stellar pitching and defense, with DeRosa throwing a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits while punching out five, picking up her fifth win of the season.
“I feel like there’s so many things that have been important but our pitching staff has been great,” Bowen said. “I think whether they’ve gone the full game or we’re sharing it and one pitcher starts and another comes in relief, everyone’s really done their job and been great thus far.”
After a slow offensive start to the game, DeRosa scored on a fielder’s choice and the flood gates opened from there.
They scored four in the fourth, with a two run single from Carissa Pecchia doing a lot of the damage. They scored another pair in the fifth frame, with Alli Olson’s sacrifice driving in Breannah McCann before DeRosa tripled to score Rainone. Lucy Puskas tripled to drive in another run as DeRosa shut the door in the sixth inning as Springfield won via mercy rule.
Ashley Pugliese took the ball in game two, throwing 4 2/3 innings and allowing two runs, earning her fourth win of the season.
The bats stayed hot to begin the second game, with Pecchia driving in Rainone on an RBI double before Emily Whalen drove in Pecchia with a sacrifice bunt.
After Grace Wallace hit a home run in the second frame to cut the lead to one, the Pride put up a crooked number in the third, scoring five runs. Through some competitive at bats, the Pride kept a lot of runners on base, helping spur the big inning, and the Pride led 7-1 after three.
“One through nine [in the lineup] is a hard out. Everyone has an approach up there and they really put some great swings on it,” Bowen said.
Keene St pulled a run back in the fourth before Pecchia drove in DeRosa with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-2 as the bats quieted down to end the game.
The win improved the Pride to 11-2-1, and in their next time out they will travel to Boston to take on Emerson, beginning the NEWMAC campaign.
Photo Courtesy of Springfield College.