SUNAPEE- Sunapee beat Wilton-Lyndeborough on a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh inning, 8-7 on Wednesday evening to improve to 4-7 on the season.
Trailing 7-6 with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Sunapee’s Elizabeth Bennett got things going with a ground-ball single up the middle, and Hannah Crosby followed that up with another single to the same spot. Erin Moynihan then blasted an RBI-double to deep centerfield to tie the game and put runners on second and third with only one out. Lakers head coach, Bonnie Cruz, on Moynihan’s big hit late in Wednesday’s game, said, “I’ve been waiting for her to hit the ball like that. That was perfectly hit.”
After a strikeout, Miah Hamm came up to the plate with two outs. Hamm slapped a groundball down the third baseline, Wilton’s third baseman scooped the ball up, scanned the infield and threw home to try to get Crosby out. The ball sailed over the head of the catcher and Crosby was able to slide in for the game-winning run.
The big inning offensively for the Lakers was the third, when they plated four runs to take the lead, 6-2. Ellie Frederick scored on an overthrow to third, Crosby had an RBI-single that plated Bennett, Moynihan had an RBI-single down the right field line to knock in Crosby, and then Hamm had an RBI-double that knocked home Moynihan.
Defensively for Sunapee, Bennett was making clutch play after clutch play at shortstop. In the top of the fourth, she fielded a grounder and threw home for the tag-out, saving a run. In the top of the sixth, she did the same thing, scooping up a grounder and firing home to prevent the Wilton go-ahead run. She ended the sixth by snagging a hot line-drive. In the top of the seventh, she recorded another put-out o save a run. “She had a day defensively,” Cruz said on Bennett. “We have been trying to figure out what works best in our infield and I’m pretty sure she just solidified her spot. She was so heads-up to make the right decision whether it was to go to one or go home. She started the season at third for us, and then moved to shortstop and I think she has really done an excellent job.”
On the mound for the Lakers, Frederick tossed the first five innings and Crosby came in for the final two. The two combined for five strikeouts in the winning effort. Cruz, on her pitchers Wednesday, said, “It’s great to have a righty-lefty combo that can throw strikes and have different styles. I thought they were mentally focused. They went in and did their job. I’m proud of their composure today.”
“We finally put everything together that I knew that they had today,” said Cruz. “It’s so good to see what they can actually do. To be able to hit and to be able to field against one of the best teams in D-4 this year is something that we needed. Everyone contributed today.”
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