AMHERST – The Southwick-Tolland Regional High School softball team’s historic run has come to an end.
Aided by defensive miscues, No. 1 Hampshire pounced on top of second-seeded Southwick early and often in the West Sectional Division 2 softball finals, cruising to a 9-3 win Saturday at UMass.
It was an inauspicious start for the green and gold.
Southwick threatened early with a lead-off single from Britt Penland and reached on an infield error. The Rams moved the base runners into scoring position, but Hampshire pitcher Danielle McGan forced a ground out and two fly outs to end the threat.
Hampshire’s Paige Sullivan led off the home half of the first with a bunt a few feet out in front of home plate. An errant throw to first base resulted in a four-base error and a 1-0 Red Raiders’ lead as the ball sailed deep into the right field corner.
Errors continued to plague Southwick in the third inning. Another bunt, this time from Maggie Rubek, was misplayed twice allowing Rubek to come all the way around the bases for a 2-0 lead. Another infield error on Sullivan’s ball-in-play, a stolen base, wild pitch, and a Kathryn O’Connor RBI single made it 3-0 Hampshire.
WEST DIVISION 2 SOFTBALL RUNNERS-UP
Southwick-Tolland Rams
Hampshire broke the game open in the fifth inning with five more runs. The Red Raiders scored on Brielle Bergeron’s RBI double, run-scoring singles from Justine Legowski and Hannah Marney, and a fielder’s choice.
Southwick battled back against McGan, who looked to wilt a bit under the hot sun, sending nine batters to the plate in the sixth inning.
Penland, Nikki Willey, and Tori DellaGuistina reached on consecutive singles. Emily Lachtara drew a bases-loaded walk for Southwick’s first run of the game. With one out, Molly Petit walked to make it 8-2. A wild pitch later, and it was 8-3. Another walk loaded the bases again. McGan managed to get a strikeout to end the inning.
Hampshire’s Kathryn O’Connor rounded out the scoring with an RBI triple in the 7th inning.
For Southwick, it was an historic trip – it was the Rams’ best postseason finish in school history.
“We played like a family all year,” Lachtara said. “We stepped up and took it to the next level.”
“We thought maybe David would beat Goliath this year, but whatever,” she added. “We made history for Southwick.”
Said Southwick softball coach Joe Hough: “We’re trying to build a program here like Hampshire and Turners Falls. We felt like we had nothing to lose.”
