Sports

Late-drama: Spartans edge Stevens

CLAREMONT – It was a drama-filled ending in the D-II varsity softball game Wednesday evening at Veterans Park.

With the Cardinals trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and a runner on second, Stevens’ Jenna Pond hit a well-struck, high-arching ball almost directly at Pembroke’s right fielder Shannon Trainor.

Battling the sun all day, Trainor’s first step was back. She then seemed to lose the ball in the sun for a brief moment as she dropped to her knees in the middle of right field. She relocated the ball just as it was about to hit the grass, and lunging forward she came up with the game-sealing grab lying flat on her stomach with her glove facing up.

“They got pretty lucky on that last catch because that would’ve at least tied the game up,” said Stevens head coach Missy Nichols. “It was in the sun and she just kind of laid out there… but it’s a catch. Kudos to her.”

The Cardinals had the lead for most of the game, but the Spartans came up with a big hit when they needed it most.

Pembroke’s Chloe Carignan hit a 2-RBI single to center with two outs in the top of the seventh to give the visitors the lead, 3-2.

Before that one hit that stole much of the Cardinals’ momentum, the home squad was making all the little things happen and it appeared they were doing just enough to grab their first win in D-II this year.

In the top of the first, the Cardinals were in some trouble early with the bases loaded and just one out, but a double play got them out of the jam. Pitcher Madison Lapsley struck out a Spartan and then Makayla Maccioli tagged a runner stealing home to avoid getting into an early hole.

Stevens put a run on the board in the bottom of the first when Pond scored on a passed ball after reaching with a single.

In the top of the third, Pembroke scored a run to tie the game on an RBI-poke from Olivia McCarty.

Then, as the Spartans were looking to take the lead, Stevens’ Ellee Grenier came up huge from her newly-appointed left field position.

On a 3-2 count with 2 outs, a ball was hit hard on the ground to shallow left, and as a Spartan runner was dashing home, Grenier scooped up the ball and came up firing. The throw was right on the money and Maccioli applied the tag to get out of the inning without much harm.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” said coach Nichols on Grenier, who was moved from her second base spot to boost the play of the Cardinals’ outfield. “Ellee doesn’t show much emotion and is always going at one speed. Everybody wants to light a fire under her… but she gets the job done. It doesn’t matter where you put her. She has a smile on her face, knows what to do, and she always does it.”

That throw helped boost the Cardinals’ energy, as they regained the lead in bottom of the third. Lapsley reached with a single and then Brianna Frisbee later scored as her courtesy runner on a throwing error.

Even though the Cardinals fell short in the final inning, coach Nichols liked the effort she saw all over the field Wednesday after a 12-0 loss to Merrimack Valley to open the season on Saturday.

“I’m proud of the way we rebounded,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be a tougher year [than last year in D-III]. I’d rather be in the middle of the pack in division two than be at the top of division three… and I think middle of the pack is a good base of where we might end up. If we’re higher than that, great, but if we’re not… we’re going to get better every day and be ready come playoff time.”

On the hill for Stevens, Lapsley struck out 9 batters in her complete game, and allowed 6 hits and 5 walks.

For Pembroke, Carignan pitched a complete game, allowing 4 hits, striking out 7, walking 1 and hitting a batter.

On the Cardinals’ offense, Grenier had a standup double to lead off the bottom of the seventh, and Pond, Lapsley and Katelyn Chambers each had a single.

The Cardinals (0-2) are scheduled to host Plymouth on Friday at 4 p.m. The Spartans (1-1) will host Souhegan on Monday evening.

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