by Toby Bazarnick ·
Friday, April 11, 2025
The Bromfield Trojans varsity softball team returned to competition this spring for the first time in six years, kicking off the season with a home loss followed by a road win.
Head coach Matt Benway credited the program’s revival to key investments, including new coaching staff and upgraded fields on Ann Lees Road and Depot Road (Ryan Land). Increased participation at both middle and high school levels has helped rebuild the program, with many players also engaging in offseason training and club teams.
In the season opener on April 2 at the field on Ann Lees Road, Bromfield fell to the Gardner Wildcats, 15-3, after a challenging fourth inning. Despite the loss, Coach Benway highlighted the team’s hustle and growth. Eighth-grader Bianca Bazarnick pitched four innings, allowing 15 runs (four earned) while striking out eight. Freshman Aven Overmiller finished the final inning with two strikeouts. Offensively, sophomore Sophia Pierce led the team with two hits, while juniors Audrey Slavin and Isabel Pierce each drove in a run.
Bouncing back on April 4, Bromfield edged out the Murdock Blue Devils, 4-3, in an intense matchup. Bazarnick delivered a complete game, striking out 14 and allowing only four hits. Senior captain Hannah Murphy went 3-for-4 at the plate, and sophomore Gigi Benway added two hits. Junior Tess Dirstine’s double in the fourth gave Bromfield the lead, while Bazarnick’s seventh-inning single secured the win. The Trojans held off Murdock with two strikeouts to end the game, stranding the tying run on second.
Looking ahead, Bromfield was set to face St. Bernard’s (4/8) and Ayer Shirley (4/9) on the road before hosting West Boylston at home on the field on Ann Lees Road on Friday, April 11.
Toby Bazarnick is a Bromfield softball parent and treasurer of the Harvard Youth Baseball & Softball Association. The raw text for this story was generated by Gamechanger, an application used by the baseball and softball teams to collect game statistics.