Bats Come Alive as Softball Roll to Sweep of Blazer

HOLYOKE, MA: On Monday evening, the Anna Maria College Softball team traveled to meet the Elms College Blazers for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Double Header at Holyoke High School.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Monday, April 10, 2023
• Game 1: Anna Maria 10, Elms 1
• Game 2: Anna Maria 13, Elms 2
• Records: Anna Maria AMCATS 8-15 | Elms College Blazers 1-15

HIGHLIGHTS

• GAME 1
  • Graduate student pitcher Sabrina Liston (Rehoboth, MA) allowed only one run in six innings while scattering five hits and striking out six batters to record her fifth win of the season.
  • The AMCATS were the first ones on the board in the top of the first inning. With one out junior catcher Saylor Costa (East Providence, RI) reached on a single to center field and moved to second on an infield single from Liston. Freshman Madison-Marie Romano (Lebanon, ME) then walked to load the bases before graduate student second baseman Michelle Cilley worked another walk to force in a run.
  • After the Blazers tied the score in the bottom of the inning the AMCATS went ahead for good in the top of the second inning. Senior Kendall McNamee (Somers, CT) led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on an illegal pitch. Freshman designated player Aine Manning (Carver, MA) then walked and senior first baseman Samantha Dahill (Littleton, MA) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Costa brought McNamee and Manning around to score with a sharp single to right field. Two outs later the AMCATS tagged on another run when an errant throw by the catcher allowed Dahill to scamper home.
  • The AMCATS played small ball to extend their lead in the fifth inning. Romano led off the inning by being hit by a pitch and promptly made the Blazers pay by stealing second base. Cilley then sacrificed Romano to third with a bunt back to the pitcher. Sophomore center fielder Rory Hughes (Worcester, MA) walked and then stole the AMCATS' second bag of the inning. Freshman Paige Stewart (Auburn, MA) then scored Romano with a single.
  • The AMCATS' big inning came in the sixth inning as they scored five runs on four hits. Costa started the rally with a walk and was pinch run for by freshman Samantha Wozniak (Framingham, MA). Two batters later Romano singled and two batters after that Hughes walked to fill the bases with AMCATS. Stewart then smashed a single off the third baseman's mitt that scored Wozniak. McNamee then singled to score Romano and Hughes and move Stewart to third. Eden Forget then capped the AMCATS scoring with a single to right field that scored Stewart and McNamee.
• GAME 2
  • The AMCATS offense stayed hot in the second game, scoring early and often putting up at least one run in each of the first five innings. The AMCATS had runners on base throughout the game thanks to 10 hits but also 12 walks.
  • In the first inning, the AMCATS loaded the bases with one out thanks to a single by Costa and walks to Liston and Romano. Cilley then drove in the game's first run when she was hit by a pitch.
  • The second inning saw the AMCATS again taking advantage of the Blazers mistakes. McNamee led off the inning by getting on base thanks to an error by the shortstop and moved to third on a single from Forget. Costa then scored McNamee with a single to center and Forget moved to third. After Liston walked to load the bases again, Romano lifted a fly ball to left field for a sac fly to score Forget with what would turn out to be the winning run.
  • After the Blazers scored one in the bottom of the second, the AMCATS blew the game open in the top of the third scoring six runs on only three hits. Hughes walked and stole second, then Stewart walked and McNamee hit an infield single. Forget then hit a sac fly to center to score Hughes. Dahill then walked to reload the bases and was pinch run for by Wozniak. Costa then scored Stewart with a single to left and Liston and Romano each walked to drive in another pair of runs and chased the Blazers starting pitcher. Cilley welcomed the new pitcher with an RBI ground out to the shortstop that scored Costa from third. Hughes then singled through the right side of the infield to score Romano and Liston.
  • The Blazers answered with a single run in the bottom of the inning but the AMCATS canceled that out with their only extra-base hits of the game in back-to-back at-bats by Forget and Dahill. Forget opened the frame with a triple and then walked home as Dahill doubled.
  • The AMCATS continued their hot hitting in the fifth inning to extend their lead. Hughes started things with her second hit of the game, a single. She moved to second when Stewart grounded out to third and then freshman Aurora Van Wormer (Swift Current, SK) walked, and Forget singled to right to load the bases. Dahill then walked to force in Hughes with a run. A sac fly to right field by Costa scored Van Wormer with the AMCATS 13^th run of the game.

UP NEXT:

Anna Maria will be back in action on Thursday when they will host the Northern Vermont-Johnson Badgers for a non-conference doubleheader at the AMCATS softball field located near the Fuller Activities Center. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 PM.

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