Masco softball was tied going into the eighth inning of an extremely close game against the Wilmington Wildcats. Despite the fact that Masco lost 6-3, they showed promise for the rest of their season.
In the top of the first, Wilmington came out with hot bats, scoring two runs in the inning off of a leadoff triple by Sophomore Ali McElligott and then used her speed to beat out a run down in-between third and home in the following at-bat to put Wilmington up 1. Junior Eva Boudreau would hit a sac fly that scored senior Lily MacKenzie from third.
In the early part of the contest, Masco’s bats were cold, as they had trouble getting hits out of the infield.
“We knew being the home team that the game would be dictated by our bats. I thought we had some chances to score more runs, but we didn’t get the big hit,” said Masconomet head coach Joe Ciccarello. “We have got to learn how to get the big hit when we need it.”
During the offensive cold streak, Masco’s defense and pitching from freshman Sydnee Vocino would close the door shut on the Wildcats’ offense. Masco would work their way out of a bases loaded jam in the second inning and in the third, Vocino would strike out two batters to keep the game at 2-0.
“We have been really happy with Vocino’s performance,” said Ciccarello. “She came off a tough couple of games and rebounded really well. It is tough pitching in high school as it is and to be called upon to handle this pressure as a freshman is impressive.”
Finally, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Masco’s bat came alive. Following two walks from senior catcher Ella Holden and senior captain Sam Serio, Masco would have two runners in scoring position for senior captain Mia Theberge. Theberge, who led the Masco offense all day, would slap a double over the head of the left fielder, allowing two runners to score to tie the game at 2.
“There were two outs in the inning, two of our fastest runners on base and it was in my hands to get them in to tie the game,” said Theberge. “Softball may be a team sport, but in that instant, it was up to me to deliver for my team. It was a reminder of the individual moments within the team dynamic and how important clutch hitting is in the game of softball.”
Serio, who scored one of the two Masco runs on the play, showed great leadership throughout the game. Prior to the game’s first pitch, Serio brought the team over in the dugout area and had a long pre-game discussion with them and it was Serio’s message which helped to turn the game around.
“[Prior to every game] I bring the team over to talk about the game and what to expect. I think it is important to do this so everyone is in a positive and competitive mindset,” said Serio. “The main thing we talked about during this pregame speech was drive. Softball is a team sport, it’s easy to lose sight of what that means especially coming off of two losses. We needed to come together and play for each other looking through a window instead of a mirror, and that’s exactly what the team did.
Theberge believes that Sam and her pre-game speeches are crucial to the team’s success.
“Sam is the anchor of our team,” said Theberge. “She keeps us all grounded by constantly bringing energy and motivation. Sam is the most passionate player and supporter and without her we would not be the same team.”
Following a passed ball that scored Wilmington’s sophomore Sofia Tentindo in the 5th inning, Masco had their work cut out for them as they trailed by 1 going into the bottom of the 6th inning, but like they did in the fourth, Masco’s bats would once again come alive. The inning began with a single by Holden who would be pinch run for sophomore MaClean Hodges who would steal second with Theberge at the plate. Theberge, who already had 2 runs batted in, would come up clutch once again, lining a base hit up the middle, which scored Hodges from second and forced the game to go to extra innings.
“Theberge is a force to be reckoned with,” said Serio. “She is a player that is there for the team, doing anything she can to help in any way like getting timely hits like she did yesterday. She is an athlete, making every play look easy and fighting for every hit she gets. I am so glad that I get to be her co-captain.”
Unfortunately for the Chieftains, the Wildcats offense, which had only been able to muster 1 run since the first inning, came alive again, scoring 3 runs in the top half of the 8th. The fourth and winning run of the game was scored by McElligott on a line drive single from Boudreau, which would be all Wilmington needed to get the win as they would go on to put 2 more runs on the board to win the ball game 6-3.
But despite the unfortunate ending to the game, coach Ciccarello said that the team has a lot of promise this season.
“We have really good athletes all around the diamond. We can compete with most teams,” said Ciccarello. “Hitting has to be our cornerstone. We have to be able to get the big hits when we need them. Going through tough losses will hopefully make us better in the second half of the year.”