By River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
It was nothing but positive energy and two-out hitting for the Springfield College softball team, as they continued to cruise through their terrific season﹣winning both games in their doubleheader with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) 4-2 and 12-4.
“These wins were great”, said Pride head coach Kate Bowen. “We talk all the time about being able to play 14 innings. It was just a great team win(s).”
Game one did not start out the way the Pride would have hoped, as after half an inning they found themselves in a quick hole. WPI put two runs on the board via the long ball as Destiny Lum went yard following a walk. However, after the home run, Springfield starter Gillian Kane settled in﹣not allowing any more runs throughout the contest.
The Pride later got on the board, as Pride catcher Callie Gendron cut the lead in half on a solo blast that cleared the left field wall. Despite the home run, WPI starter Sophia Togneri still went into the sixth inning up before the Springfield bats fully came to life.
Following an Amelia DeRosa single, Carissa Pecchia hit an opposite-field double to put runners on second and third with no outs. After Togneri retired Gendron and Kristen Acocella, Breannah McCann got a huge two-out single to bring two runs in and give them their first lead of the day. This would be followed by a single that was shot up the middle by Alli Olson.
“I think we just had really quality at-bats,” Bowen said. “I think when we were up in the count we took really good swings knowing what was our pitch, and if we were behind we knew [what to do].”
Game two also featured a Pride win, but in a much different way then the first game. After WPI put up a run in the first, the Springfield offense responded with an explosive seven-run rally.
The scoring started with a single by Michaela Ponticello, followed by a go-ahead double by McCann. After the Olson walk, Pride center fielder Maggie Britt hit a weak chopper up the first base line, and evaded the tag of the first baseman while simultaneously staying within the baseline. This would even follow an umpire conference where they agreed Britt stayed within the base path. Many on WPI disagreed, strongly believing Britt left the baseline on her way to first.
It ended up a very important decision, because the next batter, Dana Serricchio, cleared the bases on a double, with a Mackenzie Doyle bloop double down the left field line following that. They later went on to win in a mercy rule on DeRosa’s two-run single in the sixth.
The starting pitching was solid for the Pride as well, with Gillian Kane throwing six innings and allowing two runs in game one, and Ashley Pugliese going three giving up one run.
“They just battled both games,” Bowen said. “The pitchers who threw tonight really came in. We had a game plan, and we really executed it.”
Overall, reflecting on the whole season, Bowen is very happy with what she has seen from her group of women this year.
“I’m just really proud of the team,” Bowen said. “They come, work hard everyday, we have so many different personalities on this team, we work really hard, but we have so much fun with it.”
Photo: Springfield College Athletics