Ali Hanlon takes a swing during Bromfield’s game against Clinton.
(Courtesy photo)
Bromfield girls’ varsity softball lost on their opening day at Clinton 17-5, but brought home a 12-9 win against Ayer-Shirley on Monday.
The Lady Trojans took on the Clinton Gaels on Friday, April 4 at Clinton’s home diamond. The icy wind blowing from the nearby reservoir and the overcast skies may have been a bad omen for Bromfield. Their first at-bats were filled with base hits, but the rally was not retained in the subsequent innings, leading to the loss.
Singles from seniors Sam Igo, Ali Hanlon, junior Colby Newsham, and sophomore Stacy Nelson drove in all of Bromfield’s five runs in the first inning. The Lady Trojans then took the field and the Gaels stepped up to the plate.
The second inning saw a quick succession of outs by Clinton and Bromfield took the field again. The Gaels hit well and ran the bases aggressively to put the scoreboard in their favor 8-5.
An optimism rewarded
After the second inning, Bromfield was unable to regain momentum and Clinton furthered their lead until the mercy rule was put into play.
The Clinton game saw the debut of eighth grader Kiley Russell at pitcher. The thirteen-year-old has been pitching since she was 10.
Coach Sue Silver commented after the game that though the team lost, she was pleased with the gameplay. She recognized that plays would not be perfect because poor field conditions had limited the team’s outside practice time, and she remains optimistic.
Silver’s optimism was rewarded three days later with a 12-9 win against the Ayer-Shirley Panthers on the away field Monday April 7.
In the second inning, the Panthers hit four consecutive singles. After a hit-by-pitch and two walks, the inning ended 6-2 Panthers.
Play picked up in the top of the sixth when Hanlon started the inning with a base hit, setting off a rally that rippled all the way through the lineup: every batter made it around the bases to home plate, and Hanlon made the trip twice. Bromfield secured a 12-7 lead.
‘The best team in years’
Ayer-Shirley scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, but were unable to regain their lead. The game ended with a catch by Nelson in deep center field.
Bromfield beat Ayer-Shirley twice in the 2013 season.
The Lady Trojans play at the Elementary School field on Monday, April 14 against Murdock.
Pat Nelson, middle school softball coach and aid to Silver comments that the 2014 team is “the best team we’ve had in years. Every position is well staffed.” Both Silver and Nelson hope to make it to the district playoffs, a feat not accomplished by the Bromfield softball team in recorded history.
Casey Russell is a junior at the Bromfield School.
