By Tom Haley
THE RUTLAND HERALD
CHESTER,Vt. — West Rutland’s Samara Raiche had the best seat in the house for Peyton Guay’s masterpiece. Raiche was crouching behind the plate and calling Guay’s pitches in the Golden’s Horde’s 3-2 victory over Green Mountain on Thursday.
“She really kept her cool out there. I was very proud of her,” Raiche said of her battery mate.
“We tried to mix up the pitches.”
Guay had to be masterful because Green Mountain had the same artistry in the circle. Brie Howe-Lynch and Guay matched one another pitch for pitch in what was one of the great duels of the season.
The Chieftains were on the brink of pulling this one out or at least forcing extra innings. They scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2. It came on Chloe Ayer’s sacrifice fly.
Kayla English singled so the Chiefs had the tying run on base with two outs but Guay ended the game with a flourish on her sixth strikeout.
“She was still strong at the end,” Raiche said.
Green Mountain scored first in the bottom of the first. Leadoff batter Kim Cummings drew a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and strolled home on Riley Paul’s sharp single to right.
That lead stood until the fourth when Westside scored two. Aubrey Beaulieu was hit by a pitch and Camryn Williams followed with a single. Both runners scored on wild pitches.
Williams’ greatest value to the Horde in this game was on defense. The left fielder gets an uncanny read on the ball off the bat and caught several balls that many outfielders would not have reached.
“She reads it so well,” West Rutland coach Laurie Serrani. “Her desire is to be a shortstop but I just can’t take her out of left field now.”
The Horde padded the lead to 3-1 in the top of the seventh when Arianna Coombs drew a bases-loaded walk.
The Chieftains did their best to mount a rally on Senior Day but Guay had two of her six strikeouts in that seventh inning to extinguish the threat.
Cummings and Elizabeth Cavato were GM’s seniors honored before the game with their families.
Cummings is a special multi-sport athlete who broke the school record for most goals in a season for the girls soccer team.
Guay surrendered seven hits and had four walks against her six strikeouts.
She never had a clean inning but each time she was in trouble, she exhibited that “cool” of which Raiche spoke and wriggled off the hook.
The victory hikes the Golden Horde’s record to 11-4. The win also clinched the Southern Vermont League C Division for Westside.
Green Mountain fell to 7-7 and this one ended their three-game winning streak.
Howe-Lynch also rang up six strikeouts and held the normally potent Westside lineup to four hits.
“I was disappointed with our bats today,” Serrani said.
That is understandable since the 11-4 Horde has hit the ball hard even in their losses including a 15-11 setback to Green Mountain earlier in West Rutland.
But sometimes, you just have to tip your hat to the other pitcher.
This was a day when you doff your cap to both pitchers.
tom.haley @rutlandherald.com
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.