Southwick pitcher Emily Lachtara (8) delivers a pitch during the team’s tournament opener Wednesday against visiting Belchertown. (Photo by Chris Putz)
SOUTHWICK – It was another routine victory for the Southwick-Tolland Regional High School softball team.
Southwick sensational sophomore pitcher Emily Lachtara blew away the opposing hitters, and the Rams’ batters rang up several hits, including a big blast from the cleanup spot.
The stakes were much bigger though Wednesday as No. 2 Southwick’s 7-1 win over seventh-seeded Belchertown in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 quarterfinals signaled the Rams entry into the semifinal round.
Southwick advances to the semifinals to play the winner of No. 3 Wahconah (17-3)/No. 6 South Hadley (6-14). That quarterfinal will be played on Friday at Pine Grove Park at 7 p.m.
Southwick started off slowly in Wednesday’s contest.
Belchertown flirted with seizing the game’s first lead. Hannah Flink hit a leadoff triple in the bottom of the first inning. The Orioles’ No. 2 batter, Hannah Sugrue attempted to bunt the runner base runner in but popped up the ball in foul territory. Southwick third baseman Katelyn Sylvia made a diving catch for the out. No. 3 hitter Tea Spellacy reached after being hit by a pitch. Spellacy stole second.
Southwick’s Katelyn Sylvia trots around the bases after hitting a grand slam Wednesday. (Photo by Chris Putz)
Lachtara got out of trouble though when she struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third, Olivia Diamond reached on an error to lead it off for Southwick. With one out, Sydney Rogers hit a booming double that hugged the right field line. Sam Burzynski walked. With the bases loaded, pinch runner Brittany Penland scored on a wild pitch. Jenn Yelin walked to load the bases again. Sylvia, who earlier used her glove to keep the opposition from scoring first, blasted a grand slam to put the Rams out in front 5-0.
“Coming up (to the plate), my mind was clear because this was a big game,” Sylvia said. “I was just trying to keep as composed as I could. I got a straight fastball right in the zone. As soon as I saw it – that’s my pitch.”
Belchertown threatened to cut into Southwick’s lead again in the top of the fourth, scoring one run and loading the bases before Lachtara settled down to retire three straight batters, two by way of the strikeout.
Southwick tacked on an insurance run in each of the fourth and sixth innings.
Burzynski delivered a bases-loaded, RBI single in the fourth, and hit another run-scoring hit in the bottom of the sixth. She opened the game with a searing one-out double, but was thrown out attempting to stretch it into a triple.
“We made some mistakes,” Southwick coach Todd Downie said. “We had the bases loaded with no outs and only got one run. That can’t happen. We made some base running mistakes. From here on out, we need to minimize our mistakes to advance.”
Lachtara struck out 15 batters, including three straight to end the game. She allowed just three hits, and did not allow one through the final three frames.
“When Em is great, we do good together as a team,” Sylvia said. “We need to work hard and really work together as a team (to win the championship).”
